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2018 Chablis Grand Cru “Les Preuses”
Roland LavantureuxInsider tip: cellaring some grand cru Chablis from Lavantureux is about as wise a move as you can make in today’s volatile (wine) world. Not only are wines like this 2018 Preuses brilliant expressions of Chardonnay bound to improve with age, but they may become near impossible to find—let alone afford—in a few years’ time. Brothers David and Arnaud have locked in the exact formula for exalting these esteemed Kimmeridgian soils, producing lushly textured Chablis with serious depth and slicing mineral drive. If 2020 has taught us not to take anything for granted, then the promise of perfectly mature Chablis sometime down the road is one less thing to worry about. Who knows—we may all be forced to hide out in our wine cellars by then, so may yours be well stocked.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Chablis |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine Roland Lavantureux |
Winemaker: | Arnaud Lavantureux |
Vineyard: | 25 years average |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) |
Aging: | Aged 12 months in barrel, 50% new |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Chablis 1er Cru “Beauroy”
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The premier cru Beauroy is a round, ample expression of Chablis from a south-facing parcel. Silky and suave on the palate, it finishes with a whisper of salinity.
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Everything about this cuvée, from the delicately briny scent of slick oyster shells to the concentrated, pristinely focused sensation on the palate, is a demonstration of why this domaine has become one of Chablis’ very best.
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A crystal-clear translation of the Kimmeridgian limestone of Chablis—Chardonnay the way it can only taste from these soils.
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With a delectable combination of fresh fruit and oyster-shell aromatics, this remains Lavantureux’s benchmark for value and typicity.
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David Lavantureux describes it as “direct and pure, full of energy”—a perfectly steely Chablis for oysters-on-the-half-shell.
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2022 Chablis Grand Cru “Les Preuses”
France | Burgundy
Insider tip: cellaring some grand cru Chablis from Lavantureux is about as wise a move as you can make in today’s volatile (wine) world.
2022 Chablis Grand Cru “Bougros”
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Immediately accessible, with the type of ripe, unctuous nose you know and love with grand cru Chablis.
2021 Bourgogne Epineuil “Les Fauconniers”
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Epineuil shares the prized Kimmeridgian marl that makes up the soils of Chablis, and this rouge echoes the bright, mineral backbone that characterizes Lavantureux whites.
About The Producer
Domaine Roland Lavantureux
About The Region
Burgundy
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
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Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch