Back in the early naughties, we were hoovering Chablis from the early 1970’s. When the Tsunami hit, wheelbarrows of Grand & 1er Cru’s were arriving from the auction houses at around $14 a bottle. By the time it receded, after everyone else had caught on, they were up at around $40 a bottle and still a bargain. Purity, complexity, amazing texture, lovely lines of acid were the hallmarks of these incredible wines. Testut et Fréres Grenouille featured! Such a great vineyard.
Today we offer Laventureux’s 2017 Chablis
The first wine of Laventureux’s I tasted was their Petit Chablis, it was good enough for me to commit to the range. Stunning wine for the coin. The purity & line of acid I mentioned above all their with beautiful salinity and fruit that saw it pushing well above the level of Petit Chablis. An absolute bargain!
Wines are in stock and ready to ship, weather permitting.
About Domaine Lavantureux
With a sharp eye, natural instinct, and solid Burgundian pragmatism, Roland Lavantureux made a name for himself crafting no-nonsense Chablis that has come to be one of the most reliable of the old reliables here at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. Upon his completion of wine school in Beaune, Roland founded the domaine in 1978 in the town of Lignorelles, about four miles northwest of Chablis. Today, his two sons have taken over the Domaine: Arnaud is in charge of the vineyards and cellar, while David takes the lead in marketing and sales. In addition to making a stunning Chablis, the Lavantureux family also bottles a mouth-watering Petit Chablis, which, depending on the vintage, can easily rival their more highly pedigreed bottling—only proving the unwavering consistency of the Lavantureux family that has kept our relationship with them so strong for over thirty-five years. The international press is just discovering this Domaine’s rapidly rising star.
Lavantureux – `Winner of the Trophy “Young Talents of Burgundy” 2016 and 2017!
The region is best known for its Kimmeridgian soils, a highly prized terroir of limestone and clay infused with tiny, fossilized oysters. The intensely chalky sea-shell minerality lends deep complexity to whites, making this region an ideal home for the Chardonnay grape. The Portlandian soils in the extension of the Chablis appellation, known as Petit Chablis, may not enjoy the same reputation as the Kimmeridgian, yet they imbue the wines with a crisp, lively freshness and zesty, citrusy aromas that speak to the deep mineral component of northern Burgundy. There is no accounting for these imaginary appellation boundaries, because the pedigree of the wines is palpable. As Roland once told Kermit Lynch, “I don’t know why the INAO named some vines ‘Chablis’ and others ‘Petit.’ When I stand in the middle of my vineyard, the row to my left is Chablis, to the right it is Petit Chablis, but you can’t see any difference.” Their Petit Chablis is petit in name only as it represents stunning quality, value and typicity.
Since joining the family operation, the young Arnaud and David have shown remarkable ambition and precision in their work ethic: they have increased the family holdings to twenty-one hectares, adding single-vineyard cuvées while constantly striving for more complexity and layered texture in the mineral-driven beauties they produce. The Lavantureux wines display show-stopping nerve, to be enjoyed as easily before dinner as they are with a piece of grilled fish or oysters-on-the-half-shell. These wines drink as honestly as the people who make them.
In the Winery
Aim:
- Reveal the differences of each terroir.
- Highlight the value and specificities of each vintage.
The vinification manifests itself in a meticulous monitoring of each cuvée, which in turn allows for the least intervention possible.
We appreciate the specific contributions of both tanks and barrels during the elévage of our wines. The wines aged in tanks maintain their freshness and fruit while aging in barrel allows us to bring complexity and depth. The proportion of tanks and barrels depends on each cuvée and the specificities of each vintage.
Ferments are temperature controlled in stainless steel and all but the Petit-Chablis sees a short time in 2 to 8-year-old barriques and demi-muids.
The 2017 Vintage at Lavantureux
The season was marked by a severe yield-destroying spring frost; the summer delivered copious sunlight hours which was accompanied by plenty of warmth and heat leading up to the early 2017 harvest. The grapes were ripe with mouthwatering stone fruit and Meyer lemon, there is freshness, mineral complexity and classic Chablis saline character. Volumes at Lavantureux were down by as much as 35% – the wines have excellent material and concentration and are beautifully balanced.
Chablis Geology & Geography Explored
Detailed Map of Chablis
Click on any image to view full size map
About the Wines
Petit Chablis
Here is the only wine that with 100% stainless-steel for all vinification and elevage. All from Lignorelles. Hmm a nice width, a little saline and citrus, tighter below. Lovely volume, complex, open, ooh that’s classy – complex, saline, citrus and completely delicious – bravo!
Chablis
All the domaine’s wines are vinified parcel by parcel – this comes from a single parcel in
Lignorelles but a big parcel of 5ha and is the biggest cuvée of the domaine. 25% barrel elevage Also quite a tight nose but showing a similarly nice width of saline and citrus. Extra volume here, more overtly mineral but with accents of citrus adding to the accessibility. Great texture, fine width, beautifully finishing.
Chablis Vieilles Vignes
From 3 parcels in Lignorelles – vines planted by grandfather – 50-60 year-old vines. Here with 40% barrel elevage, all the higher crus with 50%. A deep nose, almost creamy. Ooh extra depth, more energy, a creamy richness, wide – clearly a little oak in here but a wine of delicious depth and complexity. Excellent, really juicy finishing.
Chablis ‘Vau Prin’
The most open of all these – with a freshness of citrus in the high tones. Ouch – ooh that’s fine – pure, clarity, you could cut yourself on this – such great focus. A little fume oak in the end – but a great wine in waiting – bravo!
The Premier Cru's
Chablis 1er Cru Fauchaume
Too steep for animals here and slippery too – so everything done by hand. A similar exposure to Vauprins, but at lower altitude, virtually no soil here vs plenty in Beauroy, and what there is here is much whiter. Half with barrel elevage. A little firework reduction. Ooh even more direct, fine intensity, shimmering with energy, layered finishing – high-level complexity – no overt oak before finish. Ooh, so good.
Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey
A sparkly complexity – lots of small fine notes – no overt barrel. Wide, great texture, growing intensity, and energy here too – just a touch of oak in the finishing flavours. Excellent – at least!
The Grand Cru
Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
Wider, more overtly complex here – tiny complexities – the Vosne of these wines. More composed, wider, pure mineral again, though. Great width – flavour-wise this is a little more guarded than the Bougros with its river of fresh flavour – but it’s also great!
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