Tasting Notes
Vinous 92/100
Very pale yellow with a faint green tinge. Extremely unevolved scents of minerals, mint and dusty stone, plus a whiff of pineapple in the background. A dense, sappy premier cru with noteworthy solidity and surprising acidity, but not particularly complex, at least in the early going. Has a sweetness to it, as well as strong underlying minerality, but will need time to express itself and expand in the bottle. My sample seemed to go back into a shell in the glass. Isabelle Raveneau noted that these vines were picked just a few days after a destructive hailstorm (and 100 millimeters of rain) on the night of August 31 but she added that her family had been planning to harvest the Montée de Tonnerre just a few days later than that–in contrast to some growers who were forced to bring in hail-affected grapes a solid week earlier than they had previously anticipated. This wine, made from a low yield of 35 hectoliters per hectare, may yet improve with aging but is tricky to assess today. (13.06% alcohol; 3.26 pH; 3.56 g/l total acidity)
Anticipated maturity: 2019-2032
Robert Parker 92
The 2015 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre has a very composed bouquet that is not a million miles away from the Montmain in style; it is quite strict and linear, but with greater intensity than the Vaillons. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a smooth texture, a little waxiness here with fine salinity on the finish. I fear that this might be destined to be overshadowed by the fabulous 2014 Montée de Tonnerre, but this remains a great Chablis from Raveneau in its own right.
Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040
