2005 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre
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Tasting notes
Bright gold-tinged yellow. Aromas of citrus fruits, minerals and spices, with deeper notes of honey, truffle and oatmeal emerging with air. A rich, powerful, uncompromisingly dry Chablis with more energy and cut than the 2006. This was austere from the start and there's nothing easy about it even today. But the finish impresses for its tactile texture and wet-stone minerality, and there's fruit lurking, so I would check back in on this very broad wine in another couple of years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Raveneau's 2005 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is beginning to drink beautifully as it approaches age 13, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of lemon oil, mandarin, drawn butter, iodine, beeswax and dried white flowers. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and textural, with the mid-palate richness and generosity of a warm vintage but with a delineated, chalky finish that's faithful to the Montée de Tonnerre. This is a gourmand, fleshy vintage for Raveneau—though not to the extent of 2006 or 2003—but the wines are aging gracefully.
NB tasted this before Vaillons. Oak more evident on the nose though not dominant or intrusive. Fresh with a hint of newly picked elderflower, possibly ginger. Again more oak on the palate but beautifully integrated. Firm, dry and savoury, a touch smoky and the beginning of a nutty oatmeal flavour and texture. Iintense, dry and a mouthwatering freshness on the finish even though there's a slight char/reductive aftertaste. (JH)
Bright, pale yellow. Pure but reticent aromas of citrus peel, hazelnut, clove and minerals; even more strict today than the Butteaux. Powerful but almost painfully closed, dominated today by citric and mineral cut and a flavor of wet stone. A very rich but austere wine that's presently hard to taste. Finishes broad, layered and quite dry, with a ripe, honeyed quality. This will almost certainly be for drinking after the '06.