2016 - Chablis Grand Cru Valmur, Francois Raveneau

What a pleasure it is to taste Raveneau’s 2016 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru. Floral overtones lead into hints of candied lemon peel, white flowers, marzipan, mint and white pepper, all framed by a discreet touch of oak. The 2016 has come together beautifully over the last few years, seemingly gaining mid-palate weight in bottle. Even so, it remains a relatively light Valmur for Raveneau, a wine built more on aromatics and grace rather than textural intensity. At eight years of age, I admire its freshness and the sublime elegance with which it has entered the early part of its first plateau of maturity. I don’t see the 2016 improving materially from here, but it also has enough vibrancy to drink well for at least another handful of years.