If you read the recent 20th anniversary posts, one in particular, or you are my reader of long standing, you will know I have a bit of a thing for William Fevre’s Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent. It is getting pretty god-damn pricy, but invariably (so far) delivers the goods.
William Fevre own half of this 1er Cru, that sits above the town of Chablis, pressed right against the Grand Cru Preuses. The 1er Cru has both 1er Cru and Grand Cru characteristics.
2022 was very hot in Burgundy. I clenched more than my teeth when I purchased my bottles because Chablis should be direct and steely. Indeed, a friend reported that whilst the 2022s from Fevre were very good, they were ‘not very Chablis’.
So I have had this bottle of 2022 Fevre Vaulorent in the wine fridge for months. I was too nervous to open it, lest it let me down and be a purulent lardbucket of classless shame . Then The Editor said he was cooking chicken forestiere for dinner, and I thought a fat Chardonnay would be just perfect!
The Editor cooked. I decanted the wine 45 minutes before we ate. We sat down to dine. With a tremble in the loins I poured a glass of wine each…
Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent 2022, Willian Fevre
My friend’s concerns about it not being very Chablis were entirely unjustified – it is a bit big, sure – you expect that from the Cru – but this is manifestly Chablis.
Let us not mess about, this is irrefutably the most beguiling, complex and beautiful young Chablis I have ever had the pant-stretching pleasure of drinking.
As I sit here trying to think how to sum up this… Experience, my whole body is shuddering with goosebumps. I feel the cold, and very present, thrill of aesthetic greatness.
That mere money (albeit, quite a lot of money) can provide such engagement, such rhapsodic delight, such a great time, is testament to how fantastic life is and that we must try to take pleasure in every moment lest it turn out to be as wonderful as dinner spent with The Editor. To not extract the fundamental quintessence of experiences like this, life… nay… the whole world would be a less floridly brilliant place.
Yes, there is power, the Grand Crus of some producers would screech with delight to have this density (rather than, as they do, just screech), yet it also has a lightness of lemon fruit and grounding of hard limestone rock. It is power and lightness; Grand Cru and 1er Cru.
What a slash of fine, direct acidity it scores across my palate. Crivvens, it is alive with energy. It also has a stone character that is both lithe and deeply rich. ‘Vivacious’ is overly funereal and ‘multifaceted’ too Spartan to describe the bold panache that this wine possess.
Great fruit, to be sure, rich, ripe lemon, apple and a hint of weighty pear, but again it the balance between power and lightness that these characteristics show that make this a complex and remarkable wine.
Indeed, the interplay between all the elements make this a truly great wine. Everything combines synergistically to create a coherent whole that shimmers with wild, crazy, balance and total engagement.
All those powerfully-, delicately-involute flavours spin in a kaleidoscope and just last and last. Supreme Chablis – supreme wine by any measure.
I cannot say too many positive words about tihis amazing Chablis. If you can find it, sod the money, you need at least a bottle once in your life. Yes, right now it is an awe-inspiring presence of utterly compelling effusion, but it is going to get better and better.
I have two bottles left and I will age them, certainly, although I must admit to wanting to bust them out of storage now and drink them as soon as they have hit my doormat. I cannot because I have no money to pay duty and VAT on them. But, no. Keep it until it is nine to thirteen years old and it will flungify your mind to a higher level of existence.
Fevre Chablis Vaulorent 2022 radiantly demonstrate my protean love for this Cru.
A great favourite of mine as well Davy . Much prefer it to some of the GC Chablis from the same producer
Me too, Keith old bean. L&W had some of this last week. If you buy some to drink now, don’t drink it too cold and decant it for 45 minutes! As the enthusiasm of my note may suggest, this is bloody amazing!
Well,
I am (unlike KP) not particularly a fan of Fevre Chablis.
But that has gotten me on the hunt for two bottles of this.
One for now and one to look forward to.
A thrilling account Davy.
As I was reading a voice in the back of my head was suggesting… “AI can go eat its heart out”
But there’s the rub, it doesn’t have such a thing and therefore could not compel me to purchase ketchup let alone two bottles of such expensive Chablis!
Sorry, Raymond old chap, because you gave a link to MSN{dot}com, my blog thought you were spam. Your comment is restored and fame and glory await!
I’d be surprised if you regret your purchase, this is a freaking great wine. You can easily smell and taste the relationship to BdesB fizz ;}
And what did I score this wine? Let me tell you.