Tasting Notes: French Chablis
__**DOMAINE ALICE ET OLIVIER DE MOOR ROSETTE 2004** ($30). Taut but expressive, this wine offers fresh apple and pear flavors enhanced by mineral-tinged undertones. It is ready to drink now, but it should evolve and improve with a few more years of bottle age._
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DOMAINE CHRISTIAN MOREAU PÈRE & FILS PREMIER CRU VAILLON 2005 ($35). Though it needs time in a glass or decanter, this youthful wine displays appealing layered flavors reminiscent of crisp apples and minerals, with a hint of sea salt. Incidentally, that suggestive saline note is what makes many chablis so good for drinking alongside fresh shellfish._
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DOMAINE DENIS POMMIER 2004 ($32). Fresh and lively, with mineral-tinged secondary flavors and a long finish. Made with grapes from older vines, it is an excellent example of village chablis—though it is as good as many premiers crus._
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FAIVELEY PREMIER CRU BEAUROY 2005 ($39). Initially severe, this wine opens slowly to reveal flavors suggestive of autumn fruits, wet stones, and (odd though this may sound) fresh goat cheese. Because it is young, be sure to decant it if you want to drink it within the next year or so._
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JOSEPH DROUHIN CHABLIS-MONTMAINS PREMIER CRU 2005 ($33). The well-known Burgundy producer Joseph Drouhin offers a number of compelling wines from Chablis. This one is seductive, especially because of its green apple character and long, steely finish._
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LAURENT TRIBUT 2005 ($24). Though not even two years old, this wine displays an intriguing, multifaceted personality. For a chablis from the strong 2005 vintage, it's hard to imagine a better choice for something to drink soon._
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LOUIS MICHEL & FILS GRAND CRU LES CLOS 2005 ($71). As tight as a drum, this grand cru nonetheless displays fantastic potential. It shouldn't be opened for another five years, at which point it ought to offer a myriad of wonderful flavors._
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LOUIS MICHEL & FILS PREMIER CRU FORÊTS 2005 ($36). Bright, even bracing, but with beautiful subtlety and nuance, this wine is delicious now, offering enticing echoes of wet stones and salty minerals atop a foundation of crisp fruit. It promises to taste even better in three to five years._
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WILLIAM FÈVRE "CHAMPS ROYAUX" 2005 ($20). William Fevre has seen an upsurge in quality since Joseph Henriot purchased the firm in 1996. The entry-level Champs Royaux has been a fine buy in recent vintages, and the 2005 tastes especially brisk and vibrant._
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WILLIAM FÈVRE GRAND CRU LES CLOS DOMAINE 2005 ($90). I find that Fevre's premiers crus sometimes taste a little too much of oaky vanilla, but this grand cru has sufficient stuffing to offset any barrel influence. Just beginning to open, it has the potential to evolve into a very special wine.
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