1996 - Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre, Francois Raveneau

Palish golden-yellow. Very sexy scents of lemon, truffle and slatey minerality; one can smell the wine's acidity on the nose. Densely packed, penetrating and weightless, displaying an almost painful quality to its flavors of lemon zest and crushed-stone minerality. This distinctly salty, tactile wine finishes a bit angular owing to its strong acidity. I also picked up a faint hint of white chocolate on the back end. Isabelle made it clear that her family isn't wild for the balance of this wine. A second bottle, tasted in May from my own cellar. Brassy yellow color. Perfumed aromas of red berries and orange zest, plus a whiff of white chocolate. Enters the mouth with bracing acidity, then conveys a slightly exotic quality to its flavors of red fruits, pear skin, peach pit and beeswax; reminded me a bit of Savennières. Still has fruit but the spiky acidity will always be dominant--and increasingly so as the fruit eventually fades. (Isabelle Raveneau described this wine as very small, very acidic from the start)