Butteaux is a Premier Cru vineyard on the left bank of the river, and the 2014 vintage from Domaine Raveneau is a white Chablis made from the Chardonnay variety, with an alcohol content of 13%. The grapes are harvested from a single 1.5-hectare vineyard, where the vines have an average age of 45 years and are rooted in Kimmeridgian limestone soil. The topsoil in Butteaux has a higher clay content than most Chablis crus, generally resulting in a richer, more voluptuous wine. Isabelle Raveneau's 2014 possesses this richness, but it is the underlying strength of its minerality that makes this wine so intriguing.
The growing season was somewhat challenging in some areas. Heat over the flowering weekend caused blossoms to drop, resulting in below-average yields, and in some cases, millerandage (small, seedless grapes with concentrated flavors) occurred. From mid-August through the relatively smooth harvest period, stable, warm, and dry weather guided the rest of the process well. Many growers brought forward their harvest slightly after experiencing Botrytis issues in 2013.
For Chablis, 2014 is a classic vintage rather than an austere one. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations proceeded smoothly. This is not a wine to be drunk in a hurry; it is best enjoyed through 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)
