1996 Chablis Blanchots
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Tasting notes
Raveneau's superb Chablis Blanchots displays a gorgeously ripe, floral and honeyed nose. On the palate, this amazingly concentrated, full-bodied, structured, powerful, yet elegant and feminine wine boasts layers of mineral, flint and traces of butterscotch flavors that linger in the finish. Projected maturity: 2004-2010. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Bernard Raveneau feels that the 1996s he and his brother Jean-Marie crafted will require ten years of cellaring before being approachable because of their tightly wound, high acid structures. His father, Francois Raveneau, has reportedly compared them to his '69s. I have not tasted any 1969 Domaine Raveneau bottlings so I cannot comment on the comparison, but found his remark interesting because most other vignerons I met in Chablis and the Cote d'Or were unable to recall a similar vintage (the only exception to this being Dauvissat's father who reportedly compared the 1996 vintage to 1949). This estate's cellars, like those of Rene & Vincent Dauvissat, resemble the cellars of the Cote d'Or. Why? Instead of the massive foudres and stainless steel cuves found in other Chablis cellars, the Raveneaus and Dauvissats use oak barrels to ferment and age their wines. The Raveneaus lived up to their reputation with the 1996 vintage, crafting stunningly complex, beautifully ripe, highly delineated, crystalline and exceedingly long wines. Readers who wish to taste benchmark Chablis are advised to locate some of these gems (they will be bottled in April and early May). Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524.
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Pierre Rovani
More reviews and scores
Raveneau's superb Chablis Blanchots displays a gorgeously ripe, floral and honeyed nose. On the palate, this amazingly concentrated, full-bodied, structured, powerful, yet elegant and feminine wine boasts layers of mineral, flint and traces of butterscotch flavors that linger in the finish. Projected maturity: 2004-2010. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pierre Rovani, The Wine Advocate. Feb 1998
Raveneau's superb Chablis Blanchots displays a gorgeously ripe, floral and honeyed nose. On the palate, this amazingly concentrated, full-bodied, structured, powerful, yet elegant and feminine wine boasts layers of mineral, flint and traces of butterscotch flavors that linger in the finish. Projected maturity: 2004-2010. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle.||Bernard Raveneau feels that the 1996s he and his brother Jean-Marie crafted will require ten years of cellaring before being approachable because of their tightly wound, high acid structures. His father, Francois Raveneau, has reportedly compared them to his '69s. I have not tasted any 1969 Domaine Raveneau bottlings so I cannot comment on the comparison, but found his remark interesting because most other vignerons I met in Chablis and the Cote d'Or were unable to recall a similar vintage (the only exception to this being Dauvissat's father who reportedly compared the 1996 vintage to 1949).||This estate's cellars, like those of Rene & Vincent Dauvissat, resemble the cellars of the Cote d'Or. Why? Instead of the massive foudres and stainless steel cuves found in other Chablis cellars, the Raveneaus and Dauvissats use oak barrels to ferment and age their wines.||The Raveneaus lived up to their reputation with the 1996 vintage, crafting stunningly complex, beautifully ripe, highly delineated, crystalline and exceedingly long wines. Readers who wish to taste benchmark Chablis are advised to locate some of these gems (they will be bottled in April and early May). Wine Advocate.February, 1998