2012 Chablis, Montée de Tonnerre, 1er Cru, Domaine François Raveneau, Burgundy

Served alongside the 2014 vintage, the 2012 Chablis 1er Cru Monte de Tonnerre is also showing very well indeed, offering up a riper bouquet of fresh peach, green apple, beeswax and oyster liquor that's also framed by a light touch of reduction and reveals a very delicate touch of recently used oak influence. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, broad and satiny, with more amplitude and flesh, with a deep, concentrated core. While it's balanced by racy acids, this is broader shouldered a more powerful than the 2014 but can't match the latter's tension and precision. Jean-Marie Raveneau observed that spring frosts and July hail reduced the crop by some 40% and that the berries were small and concentrated, comparing the wines to the domaine's superb 1986 vintage.William Kelley - 29/03/2019