"Among the most profound and long-lived of Chablis" - Jancis Robinson MW
A strong case can be made that, of all the places where Chardonnay is grown, Chablis produces the most distinctive wines. Even “village” wines from good producers have a unique charm and minerality. But in the hands of a true master, working with old vines and elite vineyards, Chablis can scale heights unknown to other Chardonnay makers.
Such is the case with the wines of René & Vincent Dauvissat. Along with François Raveneau, Dauvissat is unquestionably Chablis’ greatest producer, owning some of the oldest and best vineyards, including prized sections of the grand crus, Les Clos and Les Preuses.
Since 1931, Dauvissat has been selling wine under their own label and they remain one of Chablis’ great traditionalists. As the torch has been passed down from generation to generation, little has changed here - the practices are still classic and remarkably similar to those used chez Raveneau.
If anything, the wines have become increasingly profound since Vincent Dauvissat joined his father, René, in the 1970s. Vincent prefers natural farming, using vine treatments sparingly, if at all. The fruit is harvested by hand and not de-stemmed; fermentation is part in enameled steel vats and part in wood, and all aging is in six to eight-year-old barrels.
Dauvissat has always aged their wines in barrel, believing that this allows the wine to breathe during the élévage. As René Dauvissat said in 2002, “Oak is very important to Chablis. The synergy of air and wood adds character and also helps soften the wine. Without oak, Chablis is too hard, too austere.” Malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneously and only the winter cold is used to precipitate tartrates.
The result is wines that rival the world’s very best for intensity and complexity. They are the perfect expression of Chablis’ unique terroir, and the praise and attention that they have received from critics including Robert Parker, Hugh Johnson and Allen Meadows comes as no surprise. A loyal following among France’s most esteemed restaurateurs means that remarkably little of their prized production makes it out of their homeland.
