Chablis Vaulorent Premier Cru Domaine William Fevre 2008 (France)

This wine was a suggestion from whom I deem as my Wine Guru. We waited till Christmas to open this wine as it was $52 per bottle and very special occasion wine.

This is a French Chablis, Chardonnay Varietal and un-oaked of course so you really taste the grape. Chablis Premier Cru is a classification of the Chablis white wine appellation of Burgundy. As some of you may know Burgundy is a historic and highly respected wine-producing region of eastern France. Appellation encompasses the wine and labeling laws of a particular geographical area, including a defined regional boundary with specifications outlining vineyard and winery practices. In many traditional wine-growing countries, such as France, the appellation may also indicate the quality and style of wine. Wines made under the title Chablis Premier Cru are from vineyards identified as producing wines of higher quality than those classified simply as Chablis.

Now that we have a bit of French wine knowledge, on to the review. When we first opened this bottle we had all the anticipation of a $52 bottle of wine. The color was a delicate straw yellow. The nose was very tart, like grapefruit, lemons and a touch of persimmon. Perhaps a bit off-putting to some. I was unsure myself. The first thing you notice that is different from New World Chardonnay from California, Chile and other Wine Countries, is the amount of acidity on the palate. On the Palate this wine had a lot more acidity than other wines I have had and if your Palate is not used to French Chablis you will have to dig a bit deeper to understand this wine and allow it time to express itself to you. I took a moment, tasted and sniffed and swirled my glass a bit more and flavors of very fresh citrus, grapefruit and lemon and that of very tart oranges came forward. The finish is long and fairly acidic but never the less a very elegant wine and not for every palate.

Domaine William Fevre is a young wine and will continue to improve and become increasingly balanced over the next decade. Chablis are known for being food wines and the acidity would integrate well with seafood dishes, salads and several cheeses.

How to read a French Wine Label, not true with every bottle but perhaps this will help some.