Domaine Jean Dauvissat Chablis La Forest Premier Cru 2020
(Burgundy, France) - [DM 95] [WA 95] [JM 94] [BH 92-94] [VM 93]

 

Ratings & Reviews

95+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
A striking young wine, Dauvissat's brilliant 2020 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest unfurls in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, orange oil, pear, oyster shell, freshly baked bread and smoke, framed by a deft touch of reduction. Medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it's taut and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky structuring and a long, searingly mineral finish. Recent years have delivered so many brilliant renditions of La Forest that it's hard to pick a favorite between the likes of 2008, 2014, 2017 and 2019, but the 2020 is certainly a worthy entrant into the competition, and it's worth a special effort to seek out.

95 Points - Decanter:
Intriguing nose of lime and lemon zest, a hint of honey, then mineral, salty characters on the palate. A magnificent premier cru, this has the acidity and structure to age many years but is very fine already. The overall impression here is of a Chablis with power, density and which compares to a grand cru.

94+ Points - John Gilman:
The 2020 la Forest from Vincent Dauvissat is truly outstanding this year and reminds me very much of the great potential I saw when I first tasted vintages like 1985 and 1990 here, which also were so classically-cut out of the blocks. The superb aromatic constellation delivers scents of apple, pear, lemon, a beautiful base of chalky minerality, paraffin, vanillin oak and a lovely floral topnote that shares a mix of white lilies and lime blossoms. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and full-bodied, with impeccable focus and grip, a lovely core of fruit, outstanding soil undertow and a long, zesty and finish that closes with snappy acids and a complex, seamless finish. A classic in the making.

94 Points - Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy:
Pale in colour and very backward on the nose. Blue clays are the key to this terroir, Vincent tells us. Now the perfume starts to emerge. Lovely balance with more depth of white fruit. Real detail and clarity. Another immaculate Forest.

93 Points - Burghound:
A highly complex nose combines notes of green apple, citrus rind, sea breeze, petrol and shellfish. There is excellent size, weight and intensity to the more robust and muscular if less refined flavors that brim with dry extract before terminating in a mineral-driven and bone-dry but not really austere finale. I very much like the balance, and this should also age gracefully yet it's not so structured that it couldn't be approached after 5-ish years if desired. (Drink starting 2032)