Chablis 1er Cru 'Vaillons' Domaine Jean Dauvissat 2020

Domaine Jean Dauvissat 1er Cru ‘Vaillions’ is a superb wine from Chablis' most famous 1er Cru. The Vaillons vineyard is an extending of the Grand Cru slope and so benefits from a similar exposure to produce a ripe, round and concentrated wine. There are lovely spice notes behind the apple and mouth-watering lemon fruit which dominate the palate. The wine finishes with a saline twist, crushed lime and dry stone. It is a wine of immense character and complexity and a particularly full-bodied expression of Chablis that will age for years.

Domaine Jean Dauvissat is run by Jean’s grandson Fabien. Fabien is a young and extremely talented winemaker who, since taking over from his father, has converted the whole Domaine to organic and biodynamic viticulture. The Domaine now covers 23 hectares and is spread over seven communes within the wider Chablis region. The wines are characterised by a long maturation of between 18 and 24 months in tank before bottling. Fabien uses a combination of stainless steel, oak and cement. His wines are instantly appealing due to this long elevage (as the French call it) and full of texture, intense fruit and underlying minerality that makes them fresh, vibrant and wonderful from release.

2023 will see the release of Fabien’s new wines which are made from selected parcels within his Chablis vineyards. These are wines which express unique characteristics and which Fabien believes are of 1er Cru quality. Having tried them all, I’d agree. We couldn’t be happier to be selling Fabien’s wines. They are a truly modern and honest expression of this famous region and go from strength to strength every year. Just to confirm, Fabien is not a relation to any other Dauvissats from Chablis!