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Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis Grand Cru Valmur(2004)
- Winery:
- Jean-Claude Bessin
- Varietal:
- Chardonnay
- Region:
- France > Burgundy
- Type:
- White Wine
- User Tags:
- lenoir grape, acidic, oyster, mollusks, green, grill, blend, vinified, oak - heavy, subtle
- Burghound
- Issue 24, Oct 01, 2006
- 92/100
-
May 2008
- Jean-Claude Bessin described 2004 as grand classic vintage that produced extremely perfumed and expressive wines of exceptionally good balance. It was a generous year and the vines obviously compensated for the pitiful production we had in 2003. Things actually didn't look too good after a somewhat somber July and August but September could not have been more perfect and I've never seen sugars rise so quickly in such a short time. For example, we didn't chaptalize some wines and the Valmur finished at 13% naturally, which is really rare for us. I began picking on October 1st read more...and despite the good ripeness levels, we had very high levels of malic acid. Indeed they were so high that the malos had difficulty starting and didn't finish until April. We don't force them here but still, that's a long time. The good news from this aspect though is that the wines were able to stay on healthy and clean lees for a long time to nourish and fatten. And even after the malos were finished, there was a very high level of tartaric acid remaining and for the first time in a long time, I'm considering doing a cold stabilization because otherwise, the wines will likely throw some pretty heavy sediment in bottle. Overall, I'm extremely happy with the quality because had you asked me in August, I would have said that we would have been lucky to produce even minor wines. To be sure, 2004 is not 2002 but it's better than 2000, which makes it a very fine vintage in my view. Bessin is someone that runs under the major producer radar screen but his wines are clearly of serious quality and worth checking out. Note that there is no Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes in 2004. (Kysela Père et Fils, Winchester, Virginia; Morris & Verdin, London, UK). Note: from a 2 ha parcel of very old vines - Bessin is not exactly sure how old they are but he claims they are the Domaine's oldest vines; 25% of the blend was vinified in oak Subtle pain grillé notes highlight reserved and rather reluctant oyster shell, green fruit and a touch of seawater that all merges into sappy, powerful and wonderfully intense flavors that offer superb depth and stunning length. This is a very serious, even borderline austere wine that is built to age. Terrific and one to buy. (hide)
- Burghound
- Issue 20, Oct 01, 2005
- 90/100
-
May 2008
- Jean-Claude Bessin described 2004 as grand classic vintage that produced extremely perfumed and expressive wines of exceptionally good balance. It was a generous year and the vines obviously compensated for the pitiful production we had in 2003. Things actually didn't look too good after a somewhat somber July and August but September could not have been more perfect and I've never seen sugars rise so quickly in such a short time. For example, we didn't chaptalize some wines and the Valmur finished at 13% naturally, which is really rare for us. I began picking on October 1st read more...and despite the good ripeness levels, we had very high levels of malic acid. Indeed they were so high that the malos had difficulty starting and didn't finish until April. We don't force them here but still, that's a long time. The good news from this aspect though is that the wines were able to stay on healthy and clean lees for a long time to nourish and fatten. And even after the malos were finished, there was a very high level of tartaric acid remaining and for the first time in a long time, I'm considering doing a cold stabilization because otherwise, the wines will likely throw some pretty heavy sediment in bottle. Overall, I'm extremely happy with the quality because had you asked me in August, I would have said that we would have been lucky to produce even minor wines. To be sure, 2004 is not 2002 but it's better than 2000, which makes it a very fine vintage in my view. Bessin is someone that runs under the major producer radar screen but his wines are clearly of serious quality and worth checking out. Note that there is no Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes in 2004. (Kysela Père et Fils, Winchester, Virginia; Morris & Verdin, London, UK). Note: from a 2 ha parcel of very old vines - Bessin is not exactly sure how old they are but he claims they are the Domaine's oldest vines; 20% of the blend was vinified in oak Subtle wood notes that stop at pain grillé as there is no vanilla or wood spice, highlight reserved and rather reluctant oyster shell, green fruit and again, a lovely touch of seawater all merge into sappy, powerful and wonderfully intense flavors that offer superb depth and stunning length. This is a very serious wine that is built to age. Terrific. (hide)
