2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru (8/10/2015)
Right now this wine is all about the depth of minerality/chalkiness on the palate. Aromatically it's a bit closed in, but the balance is good, and air (90+ minutes) brings out more fruit tones. The thing that distinguished it was the great sustain on the finish. It's not heavy on the front or mid-palate, but there's this weight/depth to the finish that eclipses everything else in the wine. It's very impressive, and interesting to me that a wine that is very good but not outstanding in its other aspects can then have one facet stand out so much - without sticking out. Hard to express, but it's easy to taste.
2013 Arnot-Roberts Chardonnay Watson Ranch - USA, California, Napa Valley (8/10/2015)
Served alongside the Fevre to accompany pan-sautéed fish in butter & herbs, this was very good, but also closed in. Saline, floral and vaguely citrusy, it probably would have had a better time on its own. Where it really suffered was on the finish, where the Fevre just kept going the A-R dropped off too quickly. Where the Fevre improved with air, this never really changed over time.
We'll see what 24 hours of air brings as I finish off both with tonight's dinner.