Internet über:
Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons - Les Minots
-- Internet: -- JG: The seventy-plus year-old vines in this section of Vaillons that Patrick Piuze had farmed here were replanted after the 2011 vintage, as they were now so old and feeble that they were not economically viable for the producer. Consequently, the 2012 version is not quite as rock solid as the core as it was in the past, but it is still an excellent wine and some of the lost intensity that was brought to this cuvée has been compensated for by the low yields of the vintage. This is the warmest section of Vaillons, so the wine is quite succulent and wide open out of the blocks in 2012, offering up a superb bouquet of lemon, orange, a complex, chalky base of soil, citrus zest and a topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite juicy on the attack, with a fine core, crisp acids and excellent length and grip on the focused and superb finish. This is a forward and outstanding example of the vintage. 92/100 -- BH: There is also a touch of lactic character here as well though in this case it is markedly less pronounced and it does not extend to the palate. There is good cut and fine detail to the energetic middle weight flavors that possess a touch of minerality on the lemon and saline-infused finish. My predicted range obviously offers the benefit of the doubt that this will clean up. 88-91/100 -- Galloni: Honey, almonds and nectarine all flesh out in the 2012 Chablis Vaillons Minots. The style is rich, seamless and layered, with plenty of mid-palate pliancy, no hard edges and terrific overall balance. A deeply expressive, perfumed finish rounds things out nicely. 88-91/100
