2012 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru

Charming apple fruit with a light yoghurt character and spritzy acidity. Not light, not full – just right for premier cru, though not hugely complex. (RH)

Smoke, slate, white peach and almond notes are some of the nuances that are woven together in the 2012 Chablis Fourchaume. Nicely layered and spherical throughout, the 2012 impresses for its balance and silkiness. There are no hard edges in this subtle, beautifully proportioned Chablis from Domaine de Chantemerle.

From tank, Boudin’s 2012 Chablis Fourchaume displays hints of poire eaux de vie along with alkaline, stony, even slightly dank allusions to things mineral; and while more substantial in palate presence and equally winsome in texture, displays slightly less primary juiciness, cut or clarity than its generic counterpart. That having been noted, there is serious persistence to the mineral elements as well as to the bracingly tart lemon character, and what’s bitter here is integrated in the form of stimulating piquancy. I would expect this to be worth following through at least 2018. Boudin’s tank-vinification and elevage – principally in unglamorous (and in summer often warm), above-ground tanks – conduces in the best instances to wines of surprising energy and complexity as well as longevity, yet with an early sense of pliable texture and positive evolution. When I visited in June, Boudin had assembled his young 2012s (with the exception of his one small lot of Homme Mort) into huge bottling tanks and cold-stabilized them. He reports major dropping of tartrates in the process, which might help explain some of the sense of softness that surprised me on tasting; though these 2012s – which, incidentally, were not chaptalized – still exhibit considerable vivacity. Both the generic Chablis and Fourchaume were due for almost immediate filtration and bottling. At one time, Boudin rendered special cuvees specific to his export agent, but claims that in the process he came to appreciate the importance of filtering and sulfuring only judiciously, so that he now treats all of his wines to the same light touch in those respects. A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93