2010 Domaine Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru "Butteaux"

I ordered a bottle of the 2010 Chablis 1er Cru les Butteaux at the impeccable Au Fil du Zinc restaurant in Chablis and immediately grabbed my pen to scribble a tasting note. This is such a scintillating Chablis, one that encapsulates everything great about the 2010 vintage. The nose is mineral through and through--imagine getting down on your hands and knees and just inhaling limestone after a shower. The palate continues that tensile, mineral-driven theme. It is incredibly tense, perhaps benefiting from a slight, but pleasant reduction towards the finish, with awesome length and precision. What a fantastic Butteaux from Domaine Raveneau. (NM)

Raveneau's 2010 Chablis Butteaux is beautifully expressive on the bouquet, where layers of petrol, smoke and melted rocks fuse together with notable elegance. The Butteaux is a wine of all dimensions; it is at once vertical and horizontal, with fabulous purity and exceptional overall balance. This is one of the larger-scaled 2010s here. In many ways it encapsulates the personality of the vintage. (AG)