Unfurling gracefully in the glass, Raveneau's 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Clos beckons with a captivating medley of orange oil, pear, confit lemon, and freshly baked bread, artfully framed by a subtle touch of youthful reduction. This full-bodied masterpiece exhibits layers of concentration, featuring a profound depth at its core and a tightly wound, muscular profile that leads to a long, saline finish. In the realm of recent vintages, where Valmur has often captured my admiration, the 2020 vintage unequivocally anoints the Clos as the reigning monarch of the cellar.
A wealth of vinous treasures awaited me at Domaine Raveneau, where the freshly bottled 2020s and mid-bottling 2019s were revisited, showcasing the brilliance of both vintages in their slightly richer, more muscular expression. Isabelle and Maxime Raveneau's strategic choice to commence the harvest on August 28, 2020, resulted in wines with finished alcohol levels between 12.8% to 13.5%, imparting brightness and incisiveness to the 2020s and setting the stage for delightful comparisons and enjoyment for Chablis enthusiasts over the years to come.