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.
