William Fèvre
Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys - Domaine 2023
Chablis 1er Cru
William Fèvre Premier Cru Les Lys is a refined expression of the Vaillons climat, drawn from a 0.99-hectare plot once owned by French royalty. Located on an eastern-facing slope with clay soils over Kimmeridgian limestone, this site yields wines of notable elegance and finesse. Gentle handling in the cellar via gravity flow, light pressing, and fermentation on fine lees preserves purity and detail. The wine ages 13 to 14 months, with partial élevage in older French oak. It offers a floral, mineral-driven bouquet, supple texture, and a graceful, lingering finish.
VINEYARD
Vaillons was one of the first vineyards on the left bank of the Sereine to be granted Premier Cru status. Les Lys is one of its climats, situated near the top of the hill with clay soils and Kimmeridgian subsoils. Fèvre owns 0.99 hectares with an eastern exposure.
WINEMAKING
Gravity is applied throughout to avoid pumping and preserve the integrity of the fruit. Short pneumatic pressing of 1.5 to 2 hours ensures a delicate separation of solids and liquids. Very light static settling retains enough fine lees for alcoholic and malolactic fermentations to occur naturally. Vinification takes place in stainless steel vats. The wine is aged for 18 months in total, with 30% of the blend spending 5 to 6 months on fine lees in French oak barrels before finishing in stainless steel.
VINTAGE
2023 began with a mild, dry winter followed by April frosts that had little lasting impact on the vines. A hot, dry May gave way to June storms that created disease pressure, managed carefully by the estate team throughout the season. Alternating heat and rainfall through summer accelerated ripening, with veraison slowing briefly due to water stress in August. Harvest began in early September under high temperatures, yielding generous volumes in excellent sanitary condition.
TASTING NOTE
The soft palate is charming and elegant with a fine bouquet of fruit, flowers, and minerals.
FOOD PAIRING
Grilled seafood or chicken in a cream sauce. And, as always, oysters.
Color
White
Blend %
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Chablis 1er Cru
Alcohol
13%
Suggested Retail Price
$95
Reviews
James Suckling - May 20, 2026 "More green stone fruit and chopped herbs on the nose, with crushed shells and mineral. Bright, dry and medium-weighted, with a nicely chalky mouthfeel despite the vertical, zestier acidity. Stony, cool and pure on the finish."
Wine Advocate - January 29, 2026 "Sourced from a north-facing site beneath forest cover with clay-rich soils, a parcel selection in Vaillons, the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys is among the most quintessentially Chablisien wines in the portfolio and is harvested around a week later than the fruit that enters the Vaillons bottling. It offers aromas of oyster juice, white flowers, lemon oil and Granny Smith apple, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, incisive and pure palate that is elegant yet racy and fresh, concluding with a long, saline finish."
Wine Enthusiast - June 1, 2026 "This is a particularly well-balanced Chablis. Aromas of green apple, lightly browned toast, and lilac open on the nose accented by dried white blossom. The saline-dusted palate washes across crushed shells and rides a wave of chalky acidity that becomes more emergent on the finish."
Wine Spectator - September 29, 2025 "This ripe white’s peach, apricot and melon flavors are accented by earth, citrus peel and vanilla notes. Airy in texture and mouthwatering on the finish."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Chablis 1er Cru Montmains
Chablis 1er Cru “Montmains”
Montmains has a uniquely stony terroir in Chablis, stretching down one side of a valley on the left bank of the Serein.
Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - Domaine
Chablis 1er Cru
This left-bank cru spans a massive 104 hectares divided into 8 climats – Fèvre owns 3.65 hectares over 12 plots. One of the first vineyards to reach maturity, it shows its fast ripening in shades of peach, pineapple, and pear.
Saint-Bris
Chablis
Located southwest of Chablis, Saint-Bris is the only appellation in Burgundy that allows Sauvignon Blanc. This wine grows from northeast- and northwest-facing parcels with a mix of stones, hard limestone and clay-silt. A 12-hour pre-fermentation maceration adds to this wine’s freshness, a linearity solidified by its all-stainless-steel aging.
Chablis Domaine
Chablis
This wine is made from William Fèvre’s organic estate vineyards, with many of the parcels lying adjacent to Premier Cru sites. An attractive, fresh, and classically mineral Chablis.
Chablis Champs Royaux
Chablis
Translates to "Royal Fields", a selection from the highest quality fruit covering 37 hectares of vineyards in the Chablis appellation.
Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy - Domaine
Chablis 1er Cru
Beauroy is a cru sensitive to late frosts. So sensitive, in fact, growers created the artificial Etang de Beine at the foot of its hill both to influence its microclimate and as a water source for aspersion. Fèvre owns 1.12 hectares in the subclimat of Les Troësmes, where the steep slopes and thin clay-limestone soils give finesse and elegance to the wine while the sunny south-southeastern exposures provide a background of richness.
Chablis 1er Cru Montmains - Domaine
Chablis 1er Cru
On the left bank of the Serein, Fèvre owns 3.68 hectares with vines in each of the climats off this Premier Cru. The parcel in Butteaux gives minerality, Forêts – fruitiness, and Montmains – richness. The vineyard has a uniquely stony terroir that grows an accessible, fresh wine in its youth that has the power and concentration to age.
Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume
Chablis 1er Cru
Fourchaum is situated on the opposite face of the hillside on which Grand Crus Les Preuses and Bougros sit. Fèvre’s holdings are on the eastern side of the vineyard, as close as one can get to the Grands Crus without crossing over. The soils resemble their storied neighbors and grow similarly powerful wines, perhaps with a shade more freshness.
Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - Domaine
Chablis 1er Cru
The Montée de Tonnèrre wraps around the hillside immediately east of the Côte des Grands Crus. Its geological profile closely resembles the Grands Crus and as such is considered one of the finest Premiers Crus. Fèvre’s holdings are in three lieux-dits on the crest of the hill with exposures ranging from southwest to south to southeast. Both full and rich while holding onto mineral and floral characters, the wine shows intensity and complexity in its youth, and will develop subtlety as it ages.
