2016 Domaine William Fevre, Chablis Grand Cru, Preuses

(22 hectoliters per hectare): Pungent but reticent nose hints at pineapple, peach, ginger, menthol and subtle crushed-stone minerality. Rich, spicy and sweet, with its ripe orchard fruit flavors leavened by a floral topnote. Very subtle, elegant yet extract-rich wine with terrific dusty length and lift. Ultimately dry and classic, this wine reverberates on the palate for a minute or more. Vincent Dauvissat's Preuses is frequently the finest and most complete example of this grand cru but the William Fèvre version is often my #2 choice.

The 2016 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has opened wonderfully since I tasted it in bottle: citrus lemon, Vervane tea, dill, ginger and yellow plum aromas bursting from the glass, an underlying spiciness developing in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a spicy opening, lemongrass and touches of ginger, very open and generous with dried honey, curry leaf and a touch of ginger towards the feisty finish. Excellent.

Preserved lemon, fresh herbs and a lovely creamy texture holding it all together on the palate. Fleshy and full on the length. This is Chablis in its fullest mode, and should be long-lived in bottle. (RH)