Côte Bouguerots is a cooler site down by the Serein River, with precipitous slopes of 45 degrees. An intense grand cru, with concentration from very low yields (25hl/ha), this displays a distinct savoury edge. It's a very fine, persistent wine, with a very long future ahead.
The 2018 Chablis Bougros "Côte Bouguerots" is Fèvre’s best cuvée this vintage. It has a razor-sharp nose that you might attribute to a cooler growing season, offering scents of green apple and struck flint and subtle peachy notes that remain in the background. The palate displays exquisite balance and a perfect line of acidity. Harmonious and poised, it gently fans out toward the finish, deftly remaining on that liminal point between austerity and flavor. This is an impressive Chablis from one of its most propitious vineyards.
Very pale yellow with a faint green tinge. Lime zest, white flowers and white pepper on the bright, high-pitched nose. Sappy, ripe and substantial, showing sexy sweetness of fruit in a technically very dry wine. Superb acidity and energy here, but not as tightly wound as the Preuses. The full south exposure of the vines gives this wine its amplitude and generosity. As with the regular Bougros, this large-scaled, long wine is not at all hard or austere.
The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte de Bouguerots was the standout wine when I tasted the range of William Fèvre from barrel. Now in bottle, the nose has closed down, but there remains a brooding intensity here and superb minerality. The palate is very well balanced with a touch of orange zest and quince on the entry. There is a keen line of acidity here and quite a powerful finish that lingers long in the mouth.
Lemon butter and almond pastry from time spent in four- to six-year-old barrels. Sweetly fragrant white flowers and a fine minerally thread. This makes a very composed, fresh and sleek impression on the palate. Long and slightly fleshy white-peach finish.
Clean lines mark this steely Chablis, whose apple, lemon, and stone flavors ride the vibrant structure to a long finish.
Melon, apple, stone, seashore and earth aromas and flavors ride the vivid structure, finishing long. A grapefruit peel note lingers. Shows some flesh, too, delivering terrific balance and drive.
Pungent yet elegant white peach nose displaying discrete power. Fine attack, precise and lifted, with ample fruit and a light touch. Silky and refined with a clear minerality on the finish.
Once again, based on the nose alone, this could be nothing else but Chablis with its mélange of tidal pool, mineral reduction, citrus blossom and discreet spice nuances. There is fantastic detail to the focused, mineral-driven and powerful middle weight plus flavors that do a slow build from the mid-palate all the way back to the explosively long, balanced and bone dry finish. This too should amply reward longer-term cellaring but be approachable after only 6 to 8. In a word, wonderful.
The 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros "Côte Bouguerots" is very promising, revealing a pretty bouquet of white flowers, ripe citrus fruit and wet stones, followed by a full bodied, ample but incisive palate that's racy mineral and elegantly mordant, concluding with a long finish.
