There is hope for all folks who have nursed their unoaked 2005 premier cru chablis. May be not from all * producers, but from those that have a good name, and no cheating. * This one is from Albert Bichot's stable
Opened my last bottle last night, yeah, on my own. Wonderful chablis, this fleshy style was good in 2008 and in 2012, but I was concerned that I could not wheel this out for a dinner party - just in case. . . . . Wrong ! Trepidation is a weakness, when you've done an earlier assessment. The reviews that say that you must drink up, are taking a safe line. This wine appeared a lot fresher than a half decent & oaked 2006 Puligny some 18 months ago ! But the provenance of the Puligny was a superstore, not Laithwaites. . . . . so
This wine had kept its primary profile, and evolution has built a secondary that is ripe conference pear with almonds. Because the fleshy primary has resolved, although still wonderfully concentrated on the 2005, I can now pick-up wet Portland stone on the finish.
I had kept this wine since late 2007 till spring 13 in a cool and drafty cupboard (split floorboards, earth 4 foot below) and then transferred to a wine cooler.
If you have unoaked 2008 and 2010 premier cru wines, that you trust, and keep well, do not be scared that you may lose them.
_________________ Duncan
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