Verget Fourchaume Vieilles Vignes, Chablis Premier Cru, France

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Actually from 25 year old vines on the north side of Vaulorent (as had been the corresponding 2006), Guffens- 2008 Chablis Fourchaume is dominated by fresh lime with oyster shell, alkaline, saline, and otherwise marine mineral elements. A wine for the real rock hound, while it exhibits the relative fullness one would expect from its site, it also displays a rather tart citricity in its gripping finish. Incidentally, this went into barrel briefly and solely for the duration of its malo-lactic conversion but, reports Guffens, received a lot of lees enrichment in tank, for which one can imagine that this wine was crying out! I would expect it to be worth following for at least 4-6 years, in the course of which it might well become more winsome. -To those who wrote that 2007 was a classic Chablis year,- says Macon-based Jean-Marie Guffens, who bought fruit from that vintage solely for a Les Clos - -I want them to know that I never again want to see a -classic- year like that! You had to choose between picking under-ripe or risking over-ripeness and rot. And to me Chablis under-ripe is ?- at which point he struck one of those elastic-faced grimaces that are a Guffens hallmark. (Naturally, his comment and gesture were directed inter alia at my own opinion!) Guffens described the summer of 2008 as -even worse than the summer of 2007,- but considered the upshot of 2008 incomparably better thanks to the balmy, breezy September weather, which permitted him to put off picking until September 26 - October 9, the wines reaching 13.5% potential (and finished) alcohol at the upper end, but generally hovering in the mid to upper 12s. No doubt influenced as well by growers- willingness to deal on price in 2008, Guffens rendered a considerable (not to mention exemplary) range of Chablis from this vintage; and his 2009 Chablis collection will be his largest-ever both in volume and diversity as well as, in his opinion, among his best. (Indeed, those 2009 wines were displaying a dimension of minerality and degree of nuance as well as vivacity from cask and tank in April that few of their vintage appeared likely to equal.)Importers include: Ideal Wine & Spirits, Medford, MA; tel. (617) 395-3300 and Vintner Select, Mason, OH; tel. (513) 229-3630

The Verget 2006 Chablis Fourchaumes in fact comes from Vaulorent, adjacent to Preuses and Bougros. Vinified exclusively in concrete and bottled early, it repaid that consideration by retaining brightness and invigoration in spades. Nettle and rhubarb, lime and grapefruit mark the nose and palate, and the richness on display here is that of chalky extract rather than exotic ripeness or tropical fruit. Suggestions of iodine join in the clear, penetrating, and still overtly chalky finish. I suspect this will always behave on the austere side, but should be worth following for at least 4-6 years. Jean-Marie Guffens has gone back to vinifying Chablis at his facility in the Macon, immediately after pressing in Chablis (a residency required for appellation controlee) and a highly selective separation of the juice. Guffens was quite bullish on the 2006 vintage – although he characterizes it as “exotic” rather than “classic” – and could afford to be, after having sat out 2005, and given the early harvest in 2006. (It’s always harder, he points out, to get growers to collaborate in a vintage that demands risky restraint and late picking, as did 2007, when Guffens purchased fruit from only a single supplier and cru.) Even given early picking to retain acidity, says Guffens, the freshness and length that characterize the best of them would not have been possible save for two factors. Most important were the relatively low pH levels that characterized the 2006 fruit. But secondly, the levels of total acidity actually rose during fermentation (presumably a function of the production of succinic acid as a fermentative by-product, a phenomenon in many ripe Riesling vintages as well).Importer: A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93

The 2002 Chablis Les Fourchaume has a nose reminiscent of talcum powder, almonds, white flowers, and minerals. Slate, gravel, and seashells are found in this medium-bodied, deep, broad, and spicy wine’s fleshy personality. It possesses a long, angle-free, flavorful finish. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. Jean Marie Guffens is ecstatic about 2002. “This is the best vintage we’ve done at Verget. From Macon to the Cote d’Or to Chablis, it is like a concentrated 1992. We were able to harvest in each area at the optimal time. We have great ripeness, not overripe, with excellent acidity, and the bulk prices that we paid actually dropped. The only problem in 2002 was some volatile acidity during fermentation, so we used more sulphur earlier than usual. Alcoholic fermentations took an extremely long time, and some of our malolactic fermentations were completed before the sugar was all eaten.”A Peter Vezan Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42654293), importers include: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700 and North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 848-8910, and a Patrick Lesec Selection (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42843822), various American importers, including Bacchus Importers; tel. (800) 525-9699