2006 Chablis Fourchaume Vignoble Vaulorent

The 2006 Chablis Fourchaume Vignoble de Vaulorent – from their top parcel in that site – is effectively Fevre’s seventh grand cru, and given that it lives up to this billing, an outstanding value as well. Musky, sweetly floral notes like that of some exotic orchid mingle with saline and savory shrimp shell suggestions in the nose. Densely-concentrated, with a deep, oceanic brininess and mysteriously sweet yet mineral savor, this may not have the elegance or refinement of the “regular” Fourchaume, but it more than makes up for this in intensity, complexity, and sheer grip. I would give this 2-3 years in bottle before tasting it (again) and anticipate 12-15 years of fascinating bottle evolution. The 2005 combines similarly pungent, exotic, alluring florality with riveting mineral intrigue. Didier Seguier has presided over a remarkable surge in quality at this address during the past decade in which Henriot has owned Fevre. The wines are now every bit as impressive as the estate’s vast and superbly-situated acreage, not to mention uncannily consistent in quality. Somehow, Fevre has acquired a reputation in some quarters simply for their widespread use of oak. In fact – just as at the region’s other top addresses, Dauvissat and Raveneau – the wood here is nearly always discreet, and Seguier is keen to finish the elevage on most of his wines in tank once he deems them to have spent long enough in barrel. Hand-harvesting and two sorting tables help insure quality of fruit, and Seguier’s insistence that botrytis was unproblematic for him in either 2006 or 2005 is ably supported by the gustatory evidence. Fermentation was relatively rapid, he relates, and the malo-lactic transformation not especially profound, due to the dominance of ripe, tartaric acid in the fruit. With one exception, the grand cru wines (all of which are vinified ca. 80% in barrel) had just been prepped for bottling (including cross-flow filtration) when I tasted them, but that did not prevent them from showing brilliantly. Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY; tel. (212) 605-6706

Pale color. Iodiney shellfish scents complemented by wet stone on the nose. Then big, suave, full and rich, with grand cru size and volume and uncompromising dryness. Wonderfully minerally and pure if a bit youthfully strict today. Combines great richness and breadth with an almost ineffable light touch. The powerful shrimp shell iodiney minerality draws out and energizes the wine's aftertaste. A splendid premier cru.

Some green apple on the nose and a dustiness. Firm and dense, perhaps a little harsh? Dry, clean and long. (JH)