“François Servin, along with his Australian brother-in-law Mark Cameron, direct the operations of this 30 ha domaine. Cameron’s succinct take on 2008 was that while 2008 has ‘turned out very well, had in not been for the cool and dry weather coupled with a good north wind in September, we might have been looking at a very different outcome. We began picking on the 29th of September and brought in very clean fruit with relatively thick skins, which was also courtesy of the wind. Potential alcohols averaged around 12.5% but we did have a few wines come in close to 13%. The alcoholics [alcoholic fermentations] were relatively long and I attribute this to the fact that the harvest weather was quite cool so naturally the grapes, and therefore the must, were also quite cool. We stirred the lees for longer than usual to try and add flesh to the wines because the acidity, even post-malo, is on the high side. The interesting thing is that from a tasting perspective, even with the high acidity the concentration is such that you don’t really notice the structure. I think the ’08s will be great in time as it’s an old style vintage but the acid is ripe.’ As I have reported in the past, Cameron has been an advocate for decreasing the amount of wood used and he has been successful in this regard as it is considerably less than in the past and this trend continued in 2008 as both the Preuses and the Blanchots were raised in 100% stainless. By contrast, the Les Clos and Bougros are 100% raised in oak though not necessarily new wood.” – Burghound

Please join us this Saturday, August 7th, at Weygandt Wines, from 1PM until 4PM to meet winemaker Francois Servin, taste stunning Chablis, and take some home with you at special pricing! The Lineup:

Domaine Servin Petit Chablis 2008, Regular Price $22.99, Sale Price $19.54 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “This is on the ripe side for the appellation as there are hints of exotic fruit on the otherwise very fresh nose that leads to lemon-suffused flavors that possess good energy on the clean and bright finish. This offers very solid quality for its level and is worth a look.” - Rated 87 Points, Burghound

Domaine Servin Chablis Premiere Cuvee Les Pargues 2008, Regular Price $24.99, Sale Price $21.24 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “. . . offering up notes of white orchard fruit and oyster shell notes that carry over to the delicious, intense and sappy middle weight flavors that culminate in a citrusy and lingering finish.” – Rated 87-89 Points, Burghound

Domaine Servin Chablis Vieilles Vignes Selection Massale 2008, Regular Price $25.99, Sale Price $22.09 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “A discreet if not invisible touch of wood sets off fresh, intense and layered aromas of green fruit, sea breeze and wet stone that introduce concentrated and quite serious medium-bodied flavors that culminate in a balanced, linear, precise and intensely mineral-driven finish. This is very much fashioned in the old school style of Chablis made in the 1980s. Recommended.” – Rated 88-91 Points, Burghound

Domaine Servin Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2008, Regular Price $33.99, Sale Price $28.89 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “Classic Chablis aromas of iodine, green fruit and sea weed precede the powerful and well-muscled if not elegant flavors brimming with dry extract that do a fine job of buffering the firm acid spine that underpins the driving and bone dry finish.” – Rated 90-92 Points, Burghound

Domaine Servin Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre 2008, Regular Price $33.99, Sale Price $28.89 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “A deft touch of wood allows the citrus and floral aromas liberally laced with seashore nuances to gracefully introduce powerful yet elegant and beautifully focused flavors brimming with extract and a very fine minerality that stain the palate on the balanced, pure and vibrant finish. Lovely.” – Rated 91-93 Points, Burghound

Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Bougerots 2008, Regular Price $65.99, Sale Price $56.09 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “Like the Butteaux, this offers terrific character and complexity if limited elegance and finesse on the orchard fruit, lemon and orange zest plus tidal pool hints that continue on the big, rich and impressively powerful large-scaled flavors that possess a seductively textured mouth feel on the equally long but actually deeper finish. Though not as pretty, this is presently every bit as interesting as the Blanchots.” – Rated 91-94 Points, Burghound

Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 2008, Regular Price $66.99, Sale Price $56.94 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “A similar nose of white flower and citrus nuances is enhanced by white peach and spiced pear notes that are in perfect keeping with the extremely rich and full-bodied flavors blessed with buckets of extract that renders the firm core of ripe acidity almost invisible yet the long finish remains focused and vibrant.” – Rated 91-94 Points, Burghound

Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2008, Regular Price $71.99, Sale Price $61.19 – Chablis, Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - “It’s not a complete surprise that this is the most elegant and refined wine in the range in 2008 as the ultra pure, airy and lacy white flower, citrus, salt water and stony aromas complement to perfection the extremely fresh and silky textured flavors blessed with ample amounts of acid-buffering dry extract that culminate in a poised, harmonious and utterly classy finale. An impressive effort by any standard.” – Rated 92-95 Points, Burghound

*Wine that will be offered for tasting on Saturday

Special sale prices last through Saturday, August 7th. No other offers may be applied.

We’re featuring six of these wines this week at the shop, with special pricing. And join us this Saturday, July 17th, at Weygandt Wines from 1PM until 4PM as we host a tasting where you can try them all before you buy! The Lineup:

Domaine Alary La Grange Daniel Blanc 2009, Regular Price $14.99, Sale Price $11.99 – Rhone, France – 100% Roussanne – 14% abv – Sustainable - Honeysuckle, rose petal, and apricot notes emerge from this tank-fermented and aged white. It exhibits surprising body and flavor intensity along with beautiful richness and length. I wouldn’t age it beyond a year, but it is ideal for current drinking with intensely flavored shellfish and poultry dishes.

Domaine Albert Mann Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes 2009, Regular Price $19.99, Sale Price $15.99 – Alsace, France – 100% Auxerrois – 13% abv – Biodynamic - Pale color. Fresh, pure nose offers peach and flowers. Juicy, fresh and moderately dense, in a rather sweet style for Auxerrois at nine grams of residual sugar. Turns a bit dry and peppery on the end.

Gerard & Pierre Morin Sancerre Chene Marchand 2008, Regular Price $28.99, Sale Price, $22.99 – Loire, France – 100% Sauvignon Blanc – 13% abv – Sustainable - A gorgeous nose and subtly oily, lush, yet ultra-bright palate are dominated by hedge flowers, fresh orange, lime, and grapefruit. Chalk, iodine, and salt seem to cling indelibly even as this sensationally concentrated and supremely elegant Sancerre invigorates and refreshes. Here is that perfect paradox one encounters with Sauvignon: its most sublime manifestations are farthest from typicity, and those seeking gooseberry, passion fruit, or cassis will be disappointed by what they find here.

Domaine Servin Chablis Vieilles Vignes Selection Massale, Regular Price $25.99, Sale Price $19.99 – Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – Sustainable - (50% tank and 50% older barrels) Bright yellow. Less fruity than the Pargues on the nose, showing a menthol element. Dense, ripe and minerally, with excellent lemony cut and serious acidity. Finishes with noteworthy persistence, and the structure to age. These 2008s have 4.7 to 4.8 grams per liter of acidity, according to Francois Servin. Rate 89 points, The International Wine Cellar

Chateau de La Bonneliere Chinon Rive Gauche 2009, Regular Price $14.99, Sale Price $11.99 – Loire, France – 100% Cabernet Franc – 12.5% abv – Organic - Brimming with tart but ripe cherry and blackberry tinged with baking spices and toasted nuts. Succulent and sappy on the palate, it finishes with bright black fruits and pungent spice and pepper. This would make an excellent, highly affordable introduction to Loire Cabernet Franc as well as a versatile tablemate over the next 12-18 months.

Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy Sancerre Rouge Terre de Maimbray 2008, Regular Price $28.99, Sale Price $22.99 – Loire, France – 100% Pinot Noir – 12.5% abv – Organic - This juicy offering boasts bitter-edged, black pepper-, salt- and cinnamon-tinged mulberry and cassis on an elegant palate and strikingly long finish. The effect of older barrels seems to detract marginally from the purity of fruit, and I would in any case plan to enjoy this over the next 12-18 months.

Just two weeks ago, we were supposed to host Marc Cameron of Domaine Servin in the shop for a meet and greet and taste. However, due to certain forces of nature and circumstances beyond our control (read: blizzard), Marc had to cancel his visit and we subsequently canceled our tasting/sale. But the weather is not a deterrent for us. More snow, albeit just a sprinkling, is on the way, but we will march forward and carry out our original plans of having a Domaine Servin Tasting and Super Sale. Minus Marc Cameron.

Domaine Servin is one of the great Chablis makers in France. But don’t take our word for it, ask the guys who get paid to review wines:

By practicing a relatively strict centrifugal clarification of the must, Marc Cameron – the young Australian who is not only Servin’s commercial director, but also intimately involved along with Francois Servin in vinification – said he felt confident in giving his 2007s a slow elevage and working the lees. The best Servin wines indeed strike a deft balance between richness of texture on the one hand and vivacity and clarity on the other.  Much of the excitement at this address takes place at village level, and not merely due to excellent price:quality rapport. The key factor is the Pargues vineyard – on a ridge between Montmains and Vosgros, and arguably (as well as historically) premier cru-worthy – which makes up more than half of this estate’s acreage and from which they essay multiple bottlings that reflect distinctive vinifications. The Pargues did not escape hail, but clearly the fruit utilized at Servin for the top bottlings from that site was sorted with sufficient rigor. While I am not sure into what perspective I should say that this experience puts present-day wines at any Chablis address, I cannot fail to note two old Servin wines tasted this April. Both were the last inch of bottles opened more than an hour earlier for a tasting circle. A 1947 Vaillons managed to evince lift and elegance, belying a reputed 15% alcohol. And a 1929 of uncertain terroir (“but probably Montmains,” said Servin) – re-corked once, and of which remnants remained thanks to The Crash that rendered this great vintage nearly un-sellable once it was bottled – expressed truly noble, nutty, Oloroso-like oxidation and haunting length. In light of wines like these, I can appreciate to some extent why Servin is fearless of fat in his wines. Still, my impression is that nobody makes wines like these in Chablis today. – David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate

Francois Servin, along with his Australian brother-in-law Mark Cameron, direct the operations of this 30 ha domaine. Cameron’s succinct take on 2007 was simply that “it’s a vintage for connoisseurs.” Cameron, like several other domaines, also prepares an in-depth analysis and description of the vintage and I make frequent use of his observations to underscore certain key points. In particular, I was struck by the very first data point that he noted, explaining why April was one of the hottest ever recorded as there were 302 hours of sunshine in 2007 whereas 127 is the long-term average! The domaine began picking on September 10th under ideal conditions and took their time picking. Cameron noted that there was concern about the quality of the musts given the poor weather during the summer but much to his relief, the musts were of extremely high quality, going on to emphasize that “as long as you took care to protect your grapes and then a thorough sorting, it was possible after all to have some of the best quality musts we’ve seen in some time. As to the wines themselves, they’re grand classics and will most please seasoned lovers of classic Chablis or those who want to learn why Chablis is so esteemed by connoisseurs the world over. Those that prefer a rounder style of white would do better in general to stick with the very good to excellent 2006s.” I have to agree with Cameron’s characterization of the ’07s and ’06s as his description captures the style of the two vintages exactly. As I have reported in the past, Cameron has been an advocate for decreasing the amount of wood used and he has been successful in this regard as it is considerably less than in the past and this trend continued in 2007; for example, the Preuses was raised in 100% stainless for both 2006 and 2007. Lastly, there are no notes for the 2007 Forets or Blanchots as they were sold off due to what Cameron called “simply crazy prices. They paid us today as much as we could earn 2 years from now with none of the risks and work involved with the elevage, bottling and commercial processes. – Allen Meadows, Burghound

Over the course of the next month or so, we’ll run 45% sales on a number of our outstanding white wines, as we make room for some new vintages, so stay tuned for more great savings. In the meantime, the Lineup:

Domaine Servin Petit Chablis 2007, Sale $12.99/btl, Regularly $22.99 – Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – The Servin 2007 Petit Chablis is striking in its expression of bitter-sweet floral and savory, saline, scallop-like mineral aromas I would ordinarily associate with a cru. Bright, saline, and persistently crustacean in inspiration on the palate, it falls down only in offering a slightly rustic texture, rough phenolics, and an obdurately stony finish. Still, this is impressive as far as it goes, and should prove highly versatile over the next several years. – WA 87 points

Domaine Servin Chablis Vieilles Vignes Selection Massale 2007, Sale $14.99/btl, Regularly $26.99 – Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – As good as the Les Pargues is, this is even better with a more reticent and airier nose that is also classic Chablis with its layered green fruit, salt water and algae influences that can all be found on the intensely mineral laden medium plus weight flavors that culminate in a citrus and superbly precise finish. This is flat out terrific for a villages level wine and also recommended.” – BH 89-91 points

Domaine Servin Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux 2007, Sale $17.99/btl, Regularly $31.99 – Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – A slightly riper nose combines both yellow and green fruit, sea shore and a hint of citrus that can also be found on the full-bodied and notably rich flavors that offer a beguiling texture as the copious dry extract really coats the mouth on the linear, punchy and mildly angular finish. My score assumes that it will fill out with a year or two in bottle as the underlying material should permit this without undue risk.” – BH 90 points

The Servin 2007 Chablis Butteaux – rendered entirely in tank, from fruit that was buried in other bottlings prior to vintage 2005 – offers another example of impressive concentration and expressive richness that might, however, prove to have been purchased at the price of subsequently problematic botrytis. There is a very penetrating but borderline volatile nose of citrus oil and pit fruit distillates, along with musk oil and decadent lilies; and a richly textured, peachy palate underlain by suggestions of honey. Here, though – in contrast with the Montee de Tonnerre and Vaillons bottlings – there are also chalky, saline, faintly sweaty mineral dimensions, and the impression of textural refinement persists through a finish that adeptly knits together the spirituous, honeyed, pungent, and mineral elements. This should deliver a lot of satisfaction for at least 3-4 years, but I would monitor it for signs of encroaching bitterness or volatility. – WA 90 points

Domaine Servin Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre 2007, Sale $17.99/btl, Regularly $31.99 – Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 12.5% abv – A completely different nose of white flower, pear and subtle spice and sea breeze notes complements the intensely mineral, rich and very full-bodied flavors that possess excellent underlying energy on the sappy, textured and palate staining finish. This is not as complex at present as I believe that it will be in time so a bit of patience will be required.” – BH 91 points

Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Preuses 2007, Sale $36.99/btl, Regularly $65.99 – Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 13% abv – A very subtle touch of wood frames beautifully elegant and refined lime, white peach and acacia blossom that slides gracefully into intense, harmonious and exceptionally pure medium plus bodied flavors that possess a strikingly silky mouth feel, all wrapped in a powerful and palate staining finish. This is one of those ‘wow’ wines, not because of any particular element but rather the completeness of the whole. – BH 92-94 points

Raised in tank like most of the estate’s premier crus, the Servin 2007 Chablis Preuses is both rich and exotic, with musk, brown spices, pit fruit preserves and spirits, and honey that together put me more in mind (though by no means unpleasantly so) of a late-harvested Alsace Riesling than of Chablis. Site-typical scallop-like, sweet and saline savor is present, but does not extend to the finish which – while impressively gripping – brings out the bitter side of candied citrus rind and an adamant suggestion of stone. Once again, here is a wine likely to deliver a lot of sheer sensual pleasure as well as fascination over the next few years, but I would not count on its longer-term evolution steering clear of bitter or fungal elements. I hope I’m wrong about that, but even if I’m not, fans of the exotic especially will relish this near-term. – WA 90 points

Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2007, Sale $39.99/btl, Regularly $71.99 – Burgundy, France – 100% Chardonnay – 13% abv – Here the wood treatment is between the Preuses and the Bougros as it’s neither especially evident nor could you call it subtle as it sets off a layered and highly complex nose of white flower, pear and white peach that precedes the exceptional fresh broad-shouldered flavors that possess serious weight and punch on the gorgeously mineral-infused, precise and driving finish. This is clearly more soil-driven than the Bougros though not quite as big and powerful. A choice though neither possesses the sheer harmony of expression of the Les Preuses, though in fairness it’s possible that they may in time. – BH 91-93 points

The Servin 2007 Chablis Les Clos smells of candied grapefruit and tangerine rind and quince preserves wreathed in wood smoke. Powerful and rich, with its citrus oil and toasted oak components both emphasizing bitter-sweetness, this dense mouthful seems to pause mid-palate, mindful of its duty to shape up and fly straight as a representative of Les Clos. Site-typical chalkiness and fresh citrus take over and lead to a long, focused rather than serrated or bitter finish, and with the pronounced phenolics that all of this year’s Servin crus to some extent share contributing to a vibratory and invigorating sense of vinous energy that should carry this for at least a half dozen years in bottle. – WA 91 points