94 Decanter. Review Date: 09/2024. The Forêts seems more substantial than the nearby Butteaux, with solid aromas of ripe pear and quince that still show a trace of the chalky minerality and floral notes. The texture is denser than Montmains, driven to the finish more by extract than acidity. The grapes are from 0.7ha across two parcels at the base of the slope. This wine will doubtless open with more time; we tasted it from a cask [in 2024] and it will not be bottled before April 2025, so it is still a baby.(CC)
93 John Gilman. Review Date: 02/2025. The 2023 Chablis “Forêt” from Domaine Raveneau is another lovely example of the vintage. The nose is bright and complex, offering up notes of lime, tangerine, green apple, chalky soil tones, just a hint of anise and a gentle framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, deep and full-bodied, with a superb core of the vintage’s perfectly ripe fruit, lovely soil inflection, a fine spine of acidity and a long, complex, seamlessly balanced and vibrant finish. Fine juice that will drink a touch ahead of the Montmains this year. (Drink between 2027-2060)
91-93 Wine Advocate. Review Date: 03/2025. Sourced from two plots on the bottom of the slope, amounting to just 0.6 hectares in total, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Forêt, similar to Raveneau’s Vaillons, is protected from winds by a natural amphitheater. However, it has yielded a slightly tauter wine than Vaillons. Based on deeper soils than Montmains, it soars from the glass with scents of grapefruit zest, dried white flowers and pear. Open yet controlled in its expressiveness, it’s deep and textural, underpinned by racy acidity and concludes with a long, chalky finish. Domaine Raveneau is one of the greatest estates in Chablis. This small 10-hectare domaine is one among a handful of bastions of artisanal winemaking in a region that embraced industrial winemaking with open arms, and it remains a beacon for connoisseurs of classical white Burgundy all over the world. In the era of premature oxidation, Raveneau’s wines have also emerged as some of the most dependable prospects for extended cellaring. A generational transition has been quietly effected: Bernard Raveneau retired on January 1, 2020, and was replaced by his daughter Isabelle; and Jean-Marie Raveneau retired on May 1, 2021, and was replaced by his son Maxime. Neither plan to change a tried-and-tested formula, and both are intimately versed in the domaine's secrets, so the future is secure.(KK)
90-93 Burghound. Review Date: 10/2024. Note: from a .67 ha holding that averages 35 years of age. Here there is more evident citrus influence to the ultra-fresh and bright aromas of lemon confit, quinine, green apple and just shucked oysters. The racy if not particularly dense medium weight flavors also possess an appealing texture on the dry and sleek finale that is shaped by citrus-tinged acidity. This isn't quite as refined as the Montmains but it's definitely more powerful.*Burghound Outstanding!*
