Chablis Les Clos, Grand Cru 2004

Opulent aromas of ripe pears and apples are found in the nose of the rich, bold, medium to full-bodied 2004 Chablis Les Clos. A sensual, suave, plush effort, it slathers the taster’s palate with ample waves of thick, sappy pears as well as apples. This decadent, fruit-driven Les Clos also sports a long, candied apple-packed finish. Anticipated maturity: now-2013. Incidentally, Bernard Raveneau told me, “2005 is like 2002 in Chablis, a great vintage, yet some of the wines are even better. The main difference is that 2002 was homogenous across the entire estate and 2005 is not.” The Raveneau brothers were in the process of bottling their 2004s when I visited the estate in late April, 2006. “This is a vintage of pleasure, the 2004s are simple wines, they do not have a powerful constitution,” said Bernard Raveneau, who concentrates on vineyard work and handles the vinifications. (His brother Francois deals with all the tractor work as well as the administrative issues.) He reiterated what I’d heard in all of Burgundy’s cellars, that the yields had gotten totally out of control during the rain-plagued month of August. “We harvested 70 hectoliters per hectare on average across the entire estate. We’ve never seen such a plethoric vintage!”

Score: 92 - 94

Pierre Rovani, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2006-2013 30 June 2006