Raveneau Chablis Valmur Grand Cru 2018

97 points La Revue du Vin de France: "Finesse and depth in Valmur, a very firm wine with full body, a sunny but nuanced character, it goes straight to the heart of the matter and presents itself without any fat, all in intensity. (2021)"

95-97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2018 Chablis Valmur Grand Cru is sensual and inviting, with tons of the textural dimension that is such a signature of this Grand Cru. Dried pear, chamomile, dried flowers, mint, spice and ginger come together in a creamy, open-knit wine with remarkable intensity. The Valmur finishes with tremendous density and power. I wouldn't dream of touching a bottle until at least age ten, although as I write this I am fully aware I won't have the discipline to follow my own advice! (Jan 2020)"

94-96 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "While Les Clos tends to get most of the attention, the king of the cellar chez Raveneau this year may well prove to be the 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur, a serious and structured wine that unwinds in the glass with notes of green apple, citrus oil, oyster shell, white peach and iodine. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a blocky, tight-knit profile, lively acids and a long, stony finish. (Aug 2019)"

95+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2018 Valmur from Domaine Raveneau is outstanding in quality, and quite expressive out of the blocks, as are several other of the wines here in this vintage. The very complex bouquet wafts from the glass in a combination of apple, pear, a touch of tangerine, beeswax, white flowers, chalky undertow and just a bit of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, ripe and precise, with a rock solid core of fruit, superb soil signature, a lovely girdle of acidity and outstanding length and grip on the snappy finish. This is an excellent wine in the making, and the only reason I rank it just a whisper behind the other two grand crus in the cellar this year is because it shows just a touch more ripeness in its panoply of fruit aromatics. But, there is absolutely nothing here not to be excited about! 2027-2075. (Nov/Dec 2019)"

95 points Tim Atkin, MW (Decanter): "Despite the south-east exposure of the vineyard, this is never a block buster wine. Such things are unheard of chez Raveneau, after all. It has top notes of hawthorn and white flowers that segue into a subtle, nuanced, elegant palate that’s all about precision and texture rather than obvious fruit flavours, with acidity driving the mid-palate and finish. Drinking Window: 2022-2032. (Jul 2019)"

95 ponts Allen Meadows (Burghound): "(from a .75 ha parcel). This too is quite restrained with a distinctly cool fruit profile of green fruit and a plethora of classic Chablis elements that include iodine, quinine, oyster shell and smoky mineral reduction. There is excellent volume and power, and particularly so for the 2018 vintage, to the muscular big-bodied flavors that possess fine mid-palate density on the intensely saline-inflected, markedly dry and chiseled finale. This possesses impressive development potential and should age well for years. Drink: 2030+. (Nov 2020)"