2007 Chablis Vaillons

Fevre’s 2007 Chablis Vaillons – incorporating adjacent Chatains – evinces crushed stone from nose to finish as well as salinity, but not the savory mineral nuances that make the best wines in this collection so appealing. There is admirable concentration and purity here, but in a compact form whose sense of austerity fruit pit notes only serve to accentuate. Yet, there is a sense of delicacy to the finish. This will need time (even short term) to unclench somewhat, but precisely its underlying density should then contribute to greater textural allure and help insure a 5-7 year future. Didier Seguier and his team have managed to follow up their amazing 2006s with an equally remarkable collection of 2007s (though he insists that 6 to 9 months after bottling – when I tasted them – “is the worst time for expressing the purity of fruit”!). Harvesting here began early, on September 6 – the earliest start on record save for 2003 – but without feeling any compunction about taking one’s time, Seguier emphasized. Even so, the task was completed in 11 days, harvesting fruit of impeccable ripeness and harmonious though prominent acidity at a time when many growers were wise not to have begun yet. Without question, the rigorous sorting that all of the grapes undergo here is among the keys to the purity and the transparency to nuance of these wines. As usual at this address, even when one reaches the roughly 80% level of barrique (none, new, though) a smell or taste of wood is the farthest thing from one’s mind. Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY; tel. (212) 605-6706