Straight down the line

Vincent Dauvissat is widely considered to be one of the best producers of Chablis. He is one of the people who ferment their wines in old oak barrels. Perhaps I am being over-enthusiastic opening this wine at a mere two years old, but it is a sunny day and I fancy a glass of something refreshing.

Chablis Premier Cru le Forest 2004, Vincent Dauvissat

There is a noticeable vanilla-y oak character on the nose. It has a lot of ripe-lemon fruit and hints of creamy minerality. The palate is very linear, with good acidity and lemon fruit. Even though this is a very direct wine it has a degree of weight. The finish is very long, with lemon fruit and minerality persisting for a long time. Perhaps this is too young to drink, I imagine that it would gain a bit of fat given time in the cellar, but it does make a great drink on a sunny day.

I’ve only had one other 2004 Chablis and that seemed to be similar in that it was very linear with marked acidity. It strikes me that this is a more ‘classic’ vintage than, say, 2002 or 2000. If I were a good customer of Chablis I think these would be the kind of wines I would stick in the cellar until they were five or so years old.