Chablis Bougros Cote de Bouqueyreaud, Domaine William Fèvre 2002

This is another step up in power and weight with a subtle hint of wood spice enveloping a wonderfully complex nose of minerals, white flowers and a hint of crushed oyster shells but otherwise, this is a bulldozer of a wine as it's muscular, powerful, deep and broad and blessed with simply unbelievable length and vibrancy. All I could do after tasting this was to shake my head in awe as it struck me as a hypothetical blend of Bâtard-like power and Chablis-like precision all wrapped in an explosive finish. A great effort.

Sporting an awe-inspiring, complex nose of pears, spices and minerals, the 2002 Chablis Bougros Cote de Bouquerots (domaine) bursts on the palate, revealing great concentration, depth, purity, and length. Loads of flint, flowers, minerals, and pears can be discerned it its powerful, nuanced character as well as in its superb finish. Incidentally, Fevre owns fully half of Bougros' 12 hectares (29.65 acres), 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of which are in the Cote de Bouquerots sector. Drink this outstanding effort over the next 10-13 years.
While Bernard Hervet, who oversees both Bouchard and William Fevre, prefers the 2000 vintage in Chablis "for its minerality and austerity", your author believes 2002 is the finest set of wines to have been produced at this estate/negociant firm in many years.