2008 Domaine Dauvissat-Camus Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru

At once penetrating and refined on the nose, with high-pitched aromas of lemon, orange zest and oyster shell accented by cinnamon and ginger spice notes. Wonderfully juicy and vibrant in the middle palate, conveying an impression of outstanding tactile density without weight. Flavors of pineapple, white pepper and salty minerality are at once generous and chewy. This beautifully balanced, fresh grand cru boasts outstanding inner-mouth energy and finishes with steadily rising length and an impression of solidity. This wine, incidentally, was spectacular from the outset. (ST)

As it was from the very beginning, this remains a flat out brilliant wine with everything it needs to continue its ascent toward greatness. The still primary, elegant, cool and penetrating nose displays so much ocean breeze and shellfish character that it could be nothing else but Chablis. This impression is reinforced by the intensely mineral and saline-inflected medium-bodied flavors that possess laser-like delineation before culminating in an explosively long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. There is still some youthful austerity present but that's no surprise given how structured this still is. If you're fortunate enough to own some of the '08 Les Clos I would strongly advise leaving it alone for at least another 3 to 5 years though note well that it should last for 20 more. In sum, Chablis just doesn't get a whole lot better than this.

I tasted Dauvissat’s 2008 Chablis Les Clos assembled from tank very shortly before bottling, where it demonstrated a remarkably dense yet buoyant layering of citrus, quince, white peach, and formidably concentrated chalk, oyster shell, and iodine minerality. Citrus rind, quinine and fruit pit bitterness help extend a cleansing, gum-adhering, electrically charged, practically searing finish that foreshadows at least 15 years of glory, provided premature oxidation does not lay it low, something no one can predict, and which the track record at this address renders unlikely but unfortunately by no means unthinkable. About the prowess of this wine over the next half dozen years, though, as well as about that of Les Clos the site, I am left in no doubt by my present experience. Vincent Dauvissat points out that at least at his estate, 1996 was at once more severe yet more alcoholic and more exotic in aroma than what he terms the “more classic” vintage of 2008. Both years featured long cool growing seasons and wind-driven concentration in the late innings, but the fruit in 2008 was cleaner, and entirely botrytis-free, Dauvissat maintains. He says his 2008s come closer in character to 2002. (Incidentally, at age six months, Dauvissat’s 2009s showed promising vivacity and mineral inflection for their vintage.) Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802 (Under the “Dauvissat-Camus” label, certain of these wines are also imported by Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel. (781) 352 1100.)