William Fevre, Chablis Premier Cru, Montee de Tonnerre, 2002 (Sep. 22, 2008)

December 2006. Chanuka. Airbus is having trouble with one of my then-employers' products. David Anumudu, the UK rep, claims sickness. I am flown into Toulouse to put out the fire. I arrive at my hotel at 6 PM. By 7 PM, I have already purchased this wine at the local Nicolas branch. As the following note shows, I regret not having bought more. Especially as I'd bought it for about 25 euros.

Considering I'd bought this wine about two years after release, I have no idea how it had been stored at the store especially as I had bought the last bottle on the shelf. But I hit the jackpot this time because whatever conditions this particular bottle had seen, I had apparently opened it at its peak. When you get down to the nitty gritty, a wine should be judges by how delicious it is and by that reckoning, this is the best drinking experience I have had with Chablis so far. I have drunk Chablis of greater inherent quality but never at their peak. And actually, this wine's inherent quality is nothing to shake your spiderwebs at.

Aromatically discrete, at first, though from the start showing sea breeze and shells over fruit that vaguely registers as apples. A gorgeous palate, very saline, savoury and tasty, with an aftertaste that is the very embodiment of the sea. A perfect harmony between fruit and acidity, a crisp attack mellowed by a soft mid-palate and if this wine had ever seen oak, there is absolutely no trace of it. As the nose opens up, the ever-unfolding aromatics accent the palate and lend it greater complexity and punch.

Thanks, David, you're the best!

Comments