Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 2015 750ml

The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru les Preuses has a very mineral drive and stony bouquet that to all intents and purposes I guess has not budged one iota since being opened two days prior to my visit. It is beautifully defined and understated with precise yellow flower and flint-like scents. The palate is succinctly balanced with a fine thread of acidity, a more feminine and elegant les Preuses compared to the 2016, but very long and utterly refined on the finish. This fulfills all that promise it showed in barrel.

• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Appellation: Chablis
• Size: 750ml
• Color: White

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.