Chablis, Vaillons, 1er Cru, Damaged Capsule,

I have very fond memories of tasting the 2012 Chablis Vaillons with Bernard Raveneau, first from barrel and then from bottle. Since then, the wine has softened a touch, but it retains that combination of briskness and textural intensity that has always been its signature. Frost, a poor flowering, hail and unusually hot weather lowered yields by about 40% in 2012, resulting in wines with remarkable concentration and density. Even so, there is no shortage of crystalline purity to the Vaillons. Ideally, the 2012 needs a few more years in bottle, but it’s not every day you see Raveneau on a restaurant wine list. We just have to have it. I don’t mind saying we polish off the bottle pretty quickly.