e had originally intended to call this feature "Winter Whites," because we drank a good deal more of the pale stuff than usual from December through late March. New vintages of old friends turned up at our door, and of course, we're always looking for different things to try, especially from Chablis. We just love Chardonnay when it gives you a mouthful of wet stones, chalk and a little bit o' swamp water, and no region does it better, in our not - so - humble opinion. However, time has run out on us, Spring has sprung, and so much the better, because all of the wines reviewed below will be even more enjoyable as the weather gets warmer.

The more I drink the wines of Chablis, the more I like them. I'd been eying these from William Fevre for a while, but kept hesitating because of the price. Finally, curiosity got the better of me, and I went for a couple of 375s. Fevre had been a tireless champion of Chablis, particularly with regard to maintaining the traditional boundaries of the appellation to include only vineyards located on the classic Kimmeridgian rocks of that region, and to restricting the use of the word 'Chablis' to describe only wines from, where else, Chablis. He upgraded standards and practices, and expanded the domaine to become the largest single holder of Grand Cru vineyards, as well as a significant number of Premier Cru and regular Chablis sites. Then, in 1998, he sold it all to Henriot Champagne, who in turn installed the winemaking team from Bouchard Père et Fils, another of their holdings, to run the operation. William Fevre himself is now involved in a number of winemaking ventures around the world, particularly in Chile. I can't say what the wines were like before he left, but based on the following three, there certainly seems to be a high level of quality maintained since.

2000 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, 375 ml, $29.99, 13% alc.: Kim didn't much care for this medium straw colored Grand Cru Chablis, saying that it reminded her of "burnt peanut butter," and indeed, when I first stuck my nose in the glass, there was something a little peanut butter - ish going on, but it quickly gave way to show a funky wet stone over quince and green apple, with some bees wax on the tail. A few of my friends might refer to the funky quality as "swamp water," but it's really GOOD swamp water, if you ask me. If it was a dominant factor in the wine's flavor profile, it might be unpleasant, but being in the background as it is, it simply makes for one of those irresistible "dogshit French wines," to quote one crazy Canadian. Crisp and fairly rich, despite the funk and stones, with good length on the finish, this is a wine I could get to know very well over the next five years and beyond.

2001 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, 375 ml, $29.99, 13% alc.: Medium straw to pale gold in color, this one gives up bees wax, butterscotch and wet stones on the nose, and following through on the palate with a certain earthiness and a hint of that "swamp water" underneath. The wine has good presence, acidity and finish, but seems to need some bottle age to tone down the dominant bees wax and butterscotch, which I'd gladly trade for a little more swamp water and wet stones.

A week after trying those two, I ran into the '01 Fevre Valmur, and couldn't resist, especially with a preferred customer discount on the price listed.

2001 William Fevre Chablis Valmur, $45.99, 13% alc.: I enjoyed this medium straw rather more than the '01 Les Clos; it's all about chalky wet stones and honeycomb - bees wax, with some underripe apple underneath it all in both flavor and aroma. It shows nice balance and good presence, opening more and more with air, becoming ever richer as long as there's some left in the glass. I'd like these wines from Fevre even more if they cost just a little less, but we do what we must to drink what we like, do we not?

Imported by Clicquot, Inc., New York, NY

1999 Domaine Séguinot Bordet Chablis Vieilles Vignes, $19, 12.5% alc.: