Butteaux est un vignoble classé Premier Cru situé sur la rive gauche de la rivière ; le millésime 2014 du Domaine Raveneau est un Chablis blanc issu du cépage Chardonnay, titrant 13 % d’alcool. Les raisins sont récoltés sur un seul vignoble de 1,5 hectare, où les vignes ont un âge moyen de 45 ans et sont plantées sur un sol calcaire du Kimméridgien. La couche arable de Butteaux présente une teneur en argile plus élevée que la plupart des crus de Chablis, ce qui donne généralement un vin plus riche et plus voluptueux. Le millésime 2014 d’Isabelle Raveneau possède cette richesse, mais c’est la force sous-jacente de sa minéralité qui rend ce vin si fascinant.
La saison de croissance s’est avérée quelque peu difficile dans certaines zones. La chaleur qui a régné pendant le week-end de la floraison a provoqué une chute des fleurs, entraînant des rendements inférieurs à la moyenne et, dans certains cas, un millerandage (petits raisins sans pépins aux arômes concentrés). De la mi-août jusqu’à la période des vendanges, relativement sereine, un temps stable, chaud et sec a bien accompagné le reste du processus. De nombreux viticulteurs ont légèrement avancé leurs vendanges après avoir connu des problèmes de botrytis en 2013.
Pour le Chablis, 2014 est un millésime classique plutôt qu’austère. Les fermentations alcoolique et malolactique se sont déroulées sans encombre. Ce n’est pas un vin à boire précipitamment ; il se dégustera idéalement jusqu’en 2038.
Robert Parker (94)
The 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux is a brilliant young wine, offering up a classy bouquet of minty green apple, salty oystershells, lemon oil, wet stones and subtle white flowers. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample but controlled, with a stunning alliance of elegantly glossy texture and tangy acidity. Structurally, the wine is quite tight-knit and firm at the core, with exceptional depth, though such is its balance and harmony that it's deceptively drinkable today. The true fireworks, however, will be reserved for those with the patience to cellar this Chablis for another 6 or 7 years. A strong case could be made that the 2014 is the finest Raveneau Butteaux in a decade.
Jancis Robinson (17.50)
Oxidative edge, but so much incredible flavour beneath that! Nutty, oily, very dry and tight. Incredibly lengthy, finishing with plenty of persistence and profundity. Richard Hemming MW
Vinous (94)
The 2014 Chablis Butteaux 1er Cru from Domaine François Raveneau is drinking beautifully, even though I am fully aware of committing infanticide. It is one of my favorite vineyards – and in my view, an underrated one – from a benchmark Chablis growing season. A stunning, razor-sharp bouquet offers limestone and petrichor aromas, and hints of walnut and shucked oyster shells develop with aeration. That fresh marine influence translates into a palate that displays exquisite balance and just a hint of toffee apple, closing in slightly toward the finish. There is so much tension and grace here. Brilliant.
Jeb Dunnuck (94)
Certainly in the same league as the 2013, yet with a more understated, elegant style, the 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux offers a complex bouquet of white flowers, stone fruits, lemon curd, toasted nuts, and subtle yet building, flinty minerality. While this beauty starts out tight and ungiving, it blossoms with time in the glass and has a seamlessness, as well as purity, that’s world-class. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, with bright yet integrated acidity, it needs decanting if drinking in the next couple of years, and I suspect is best with a good 4-5 years of bottle age.
Jasper Morris (93)
Mid yellow to pale gold. A delicious complex, lightly sulphured nose, thinking about wet wool. This is a real smell and watch develop experience. A faint waxiness, on the nose the wine appears to be approaching maturity. Huge intensity at the back, with both acidity and almost a tannic feel. Very good detail.
BOW (8.75)
