Petrol, graphite, smoke, slate and white stone fruits grace the palate in the 2012 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre. Vivid and utterly crystalline, Raveneaus's 2012 is a great essay into to qualities of one of the great - maybe the single greatest - 1er Cru site in Chablis. The 2012 has a bit more new oak than is typically the case, as most of the new barrels in this vintage were used here. A thrilling finish rounds things off in style.

Very pale yellow-gold. Very ripe and lower-pitched on the nose than the 2014, conveying a faint hint of evolution along with excellent vibrancy. Hugely concentrated and rather powerful for Montée de Tonnerre, with a texture of liquid silk. Comes across as a bit warmer than the '14 but its thick texture is nonetheless finer-grained than the '15. Aromas of pear, minerals, toast and vanilla are complicated by a touch of marzipan. There's an element of sweetness that may be from the wine's sheer size and palate feel but this wine is bone-dry. In fact, it's wonderfully classic considering its concentration and richness. The long finish can't match that of the 2014 for cut but then not many wines could. (13.03% alcohol; 3.2 pH; 3.96 g/l acidity; from a small crop of just 35 hectoliters per hectare)

While this remains strikingly elegant and pure, the ripe nose of white flowers, spiced pear, iodine and oyster shell is also displays some development along with a deft touch of oak. There is fine concentration to the round, caressing and if not exactly soft, then certainly forward medium-bodied flavors that exude a fine minerality on the admirably persistent finish. While I like the concentration and power, this particular bottle seemed to suggest that the wine is maturing faster than my original in-bottle tasting led me to believe. I would want to taste another example first before concluding that this isn't living up to my original review; that said, I have modified my suggested drinking window accordingly. Try from 2020. Tasted November 2016