2016 Chablis Montee de Tonnerre
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru, which is matured 14 to 16 months in stainless steel, has a broody, stony, very classic bouquet that you might call " vrai Chablis ". The palate is balanced with good depth, though it does not quite deliver the charm and panache of its peers. There are pleasant green apple and gooseberry notes on the finish, but I would have liked to see a little more precision. Tasted blind at the BIVB Chablis tasting.
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Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre has turned out well, unfurling in the glass with a reserved bouquet of citrus oil and oyster shell. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, taut and racy, without the depth and dimension of a great vintage but showing its pedigree on the long, stony finish.
(Billaud-Simon produced 48 hectoliters per hectare as this sector was spared by frost and hail): Orange and lime zest aromas are complicated by musky apple, mint, crushed stone and ginger. Silky, suave and classic; quite dry but not edgy, offering alluring flavors of peach, minerals and ginger. A rather feminine, fine-grained style but still with a serious structure. Spicy and reverberating on the classic finish. This wine only finished its malo a month before my visit; one of the three cuves had been racked but the other two were still on their lees. Superb potential.
Tank sample. A little more spice and oatmeal on the nose here than on the Mont de Milieu, more sign of oak, but not overdone. Seems to have a little less fruit concentration than the Mont de Milieu. It's a little leaner but still very long. Fabulous mouth-watering finish. (JH)