Wine of the Year #3: Ian's Pick
2008 Dauvissat Chablis 1er La Forest
A Window Into the Genius of Dauvissat
At the end of the day, there's simply nowhere else in the world that can make something that tastes like Chablis. I love that about it. This is Chardonnay in its purest form: blatant, undeniable, fascinating terroir - and Dauvissat's Chablis are like the distilled essence of this soil.
2008 may be the vintage of vintages for Chablis... and for Dauvissat.
The 08 La Forest simply floored me - this is a wine that offers a window and insight into all that’s genius about Dauvissat, all that Chablis is capable of, all that I love and respect and admire about both.
It’s exactly what I was looking for in a Wine of the Year...
When you consider the legendary status of the 2008 vintage for Chablis AND the towering reputation of Dauvissat, this is not only an ideal Wine of the Year, it’s also one of the greatest deals of the year.
I have a lot to say about this wine, why I love it, why it’s worth going long on… I know we’re all busy though, so I’ll try to keep this clear and concise.
My thesis: In the framework of Chablis, Dauvissat’s 08 La Forest is a really important wine. Without getting too theoretical, suffice it to say that the 08 vintage was special. The wines are extremely concentrated yet never heavy; tremendously layered and ripe and juicy, yet defined first and foremost by their purity and minerals. I am confident these will go down in history as some of the world's greatest, purest and most long-lived Chardonnays. (The Burghound's full review is below, and critical scores for this are through the roof.)
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Furthermore, Dauvissat is at the very top of the Chablis pantheon. The estate's La Forest is one of the region's top three 1er Crus year in and year out (I'd call the other two Raveneau's MDT and Butteaux). Dauvissat's 08 La Forest is fierce in its delivery of lightning-bright yellow and green fruit gleaming across a dark sky of sharp minerals on a cold and crystalline night. The concentration and nuance this achieves without getting muddled up is insane. I quote him all the time on this, but Andrew Jefford says it best: “Chablis, after all, should be the purest of wines, limpid and uncluttered... That more or less sums up the Dauvissat style.”
The sheer depths and tension of ripeness with acid and rocks assures that you’ll be able to drink this 2008 for the next 25 years, easily, so long as it’s stored well.
Finally, I believe that as more people catch on to the incredible things going on in Chablis, the outrageously pure, unique expression of Chardonnay from these old, limestone-based and seashell-jammed soils, these will move into their rightful places on the mantle alongside the most famous white Burgundies - the Montrachets and the Corton-Charlemagnes. The pricing, obviously, cannot help but move in the same direction. We've priced our single bottles today very leanly, and I strongly advise you to buy deep while this parcel lasts and this still goes for a tiny fraction of those giants.
To place your order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
2008 Dauvissat 1er La Forest
*NOTE: This offer includes BOTH the V. Dauvissat and Dauvissat-Camus bottlings. These are identical in all aspects except label based on their importer. See Burghound's note below.
Burghound: Here the nose explodes from the glass, combining notes of lemon peel, Chablis-style green fruit and oyster shell nuances that can also be found on the rich, energetic and highly intense flavors that are powerful and almost painfully intense on the extremely dry finish. I really like the balance and overall sense of underlying tension. This should be great in time. Note: Because I often get this question I will add that the Dauvissat-Camus wines are 100% identical to those that appear under the Vincent Dauvissat label.
NET | No further discount