Wave of Fevre Raves

originally posted by Peter Creasey:
Wave of Fevre Raves
The rave reviews of the 2012 William Fevre Chablis selections are rampant.

I succumbed and grabbed some of the Bougros Grand Cru and Vaulorent 1er Cru.

Any pro or con opinions here on the appeal level of the various 2012 Fevre Chablis bottlings?

. . . . . Pete

Hi Pete.

In the Chablis heirarchy I rate Fevre just a little below Raveneau and Dauvissat. But I still like Fevre and buy them most vintages. If I'm being critical of Fevre, their oak treatment can be a little too heavy compared with other top producers. But they have great Chablis sites ...

The rave reviews for the 2012 Fevres are IMO very much deserved (particularly the Les Clos, which is the best Chablis I've had this year). I was there in Chablis for a tasting of their range in June (for reviews search howardnz at CT).

Someone mentioned Picq. I like the label, just not as much as Fevre. I've bought the '11s here, the '12s are not yet released. They are good QPR.

Nice to see a good discussion of Chablis.

Cheers, Howard
 
fevre g.c. is a staple in certain airport lounges.

tfb that teh fatsink has to travel in the hold.

fb.
 
originally posted by Howard Davis:

In the Chablis heirarchy I rate Fevre just a little below Raveneau and Dauvissat.

could you do a vintage by vintage histogram for this please?

i too have been longing for a good discussion of chablis.

fb.
 
Sorry Fatboy, I can't do a vintage-by-vintage histogram.

My top three in the Chablis hierarchy was more an overall assessment, looking over many vintages. No doubt some houses do better than others in particular vintages, but the vintage overall, along with site and producer, seems to be the key factor. For example, I have rarely had a good 2006 (but a recent exception was a Fevre Bougros) or a poor 2010.

A factor that does affect houses unevenly however over time is premox. In my experience, premox is very rare in Raveneau, fairly rare in Dauvissat, but sadly more common, particularly after 5+ years, with Fevre.

After Fevre, I'd put Billaud-Simon in as my fourth rated house (now swallowed by Faiveley) and others like Picq and Louis Michel just behind.

What do others think?

Cheers, Howard
 
It seems to me that Fevre overall has underperformed relative to the reviews over the years. I can think of only a couple of older Fevre that were really good (a 2002 Fevre Preuses, and a 2001 Fevre Clos), with a large selection showing premox. Now, the incidence rate of premox in the 2002 Fevre is quite high (since 2010), and premox is starting to show up in the 2004 (since mostly 2012). Obviously when you cannot get to a "properly aged" Chablis due to premox, one limits how well the wine is going to show.

Some younger wines have shown very well, but again, these don't show the characteristics of aged Chablis (an example of which would be the 1996 Dauvissat Clos I had a while back--white flowers, perfectly merged hazelnut and citric flavors).

Vintage characteristics for Fevre:

2000 Fevre: Some good wines at 6-8 years, but my last bottles were oxidized (others seem to have better luck)

2001 Fevre: Surprisingly perhaps, many of these survived better than bottles on either side, despite the slightly lower acidity.

2002 Fevre: Mostly a washout for Fevre, which the rich, almost unctuous style of the vintage (seen as well in the 2002 Dauvissat, for example) turning to candied sherry in many cases. A few people have only had good bottles, but to be quantitative, one would have to check in with more recent tastings. I think the 2002 Chablis were in general over-rated by the critics, who did not recognize perhaps the rich, almost unctuous style of the wines that made them atypical for Chablis (OK, you can say they drink like a Corton Charlemagne, but it does not quite work IMO).

2004 Fevre: Some early bottles of Fevre Clos and Vaillons were beautiful, but the Vaudesir and Clos both turned south (premox) starting this year, at least in my cellar

2005 Fevre: Pretty good vintage for Fevre, with the Clos very backward, the Montee de Tonnerre ready to drink earlier, but lacking the sheer electricity of some later bottles

2006 Fevre: A good vintage for Fevre (relatively) due apparently to their early harvesting, which kept the tropical fruit character down (incompatible in my opinion with Chablis, whenever have your ever seen a pineapple growing in a tidal pool?). By relatively, I mean compared to other producers who harvested later, but still most would agree that 2006 was not a top vintage

2007 Fevre: Not much experience yet, with the exception of a 2007 Fevre les Lys (1er Cru from south side of the river), a delicate, almost lacy wine that seems to have a bit more finesse than some of its neighbors like the Vaillons

2008 Fevre: Seems to be a very good vintage for Fevre so far, with the Montee de Tonnerre a standout. Tasted just a couple of days ago, this blew the 2005 MdT out of the water with its electric palate and lively character.
 
My Favorite kind of Fèvre. But only when I'm at the club and it's otherwise difficult to see the bottle in the low light. I also like to see myself as a "connected consumer" so I'm glad to have a beverage tailored to my needs.
 
Ridiculous marketing tactic aside, what is it about Fevre Chablis production that makes it “spoof” wine? All of the literature I find indicates the domaine has been moving toward less cellar intervention and more focused vineyard work since Fevre sold it in 1998. The Chilean winery seems to be a different group altogether these days.
 
originally posted by John Ritchie:
My Favorite kind of Fèvre. But only when I'm at the club and it's otherwise difficult to see the bottle in the low light. I also like to see myself as a "connected consumer" so I'm glad to have a beverage tailored to my needs.
now the thread title makes sense
this bottle is perfect for drinking at raves
 
originally posted by Todd Abrams:
Ridiculous marketing tactic aside, what is it about Fevre Chablis production that makes it “spoof” wine? All of the literature I find indicates the domaine has been moving toward less cellar intervention and more focused vineyard work since Fevre sold it in 1998. The Chilean winery seems to be a different group altogether these days.

The ones I've tasted seemed goal-oriented.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Todd Abrams:
Ridiculous marketing tactic aside, what is it about Fevre Chablis production that makes it “spoof” wine? All of the literature I find indicates the domaine has been moving toward less cellar intervention and more focused vineyard work since Fevre sold it in 1998. The Chilean winery seems to be a different group altogether these days.

The ones I've tasted seemed goal-oriented.

There is a slight chance the ones you haven't tasted are as well. #InductiveThursdays
 
Todd, this link (http://www.williamfevre.cl/pdf/WF_About_history.pdf) says that "William sold his brands in Burgundy to a large French wine conglomerate, but he held on to two things: the lands of his Premier Cru (which he rented to the conglomerate) and a smaller stake in the mountain grown venture in San Juan." At the very end: "Today, work continues with patience and resolve under the proud gaze of Victor (Torche, the Chilean partner) & William..."

So, he remains at least somewhat committed to making wine in Chile, a place with commercially reliable weather but the latitude of North Africa, and one would have to believe that the "large French wine conglomerate" improved upon the founder's work. The latter not impossible, of course. But I guess the basic point is that he is no farmer.
 
By all accounts the large French conglomerate is allowing the folks that run the domaine in Chablis to make Chablis, and Fevre himself hasn't had any control there since 1998. My own personal experience with 2012 Chablis is that it is not “spoof”. It was clear, precise, and white stones with no trace of oak or butter or pineapple, especially when compared to some of the recent Beaune whites I've had. Although they sure aren't attempting to earn any respect with the ludicrous hipster bottle. It's like an April Fools joke.
 
Certainly a misuse of the term "spoof" when applied to Fevre, although one can question their winemaking on other grounds. Since the ownership transferred in 1999, they use no oak at all as far as I know, and make use of traditional wine making (went to a completely anaerobic bottling line in 2006).
 
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