William Fèvre
Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - Domaine 2022
Chablis 1er Cru
Vaillons is one of Chablis’s largest and most important Premier Crus, a 129-hectare appellation on the left bank of the Serein with eight different localities entitled to the name. What makes it geologically distinctive is its soil: more limestone-rich than clayey, resting on hard, compact, and highly fissured Portlandian limestone sitting above the Kimmeridgian subsoil typical of the rest of Chablis. That combination gives Vaillons a fresher, more mineral quality and a generous roundness that sets it apart from the more structured Premier Crus of the right bank.
Domaine William Fèvre’s 3.65-hectare holding spans four southeast-facing lieux-dits: Vaillons, Châtains, Mélinots, and Roncières. Pronounced on the nose with fruit, flowers, and mineral freshness, and generous and refined on the palate, Vaillons is one of the most approachable and expressive Premier Crus in the William Fèvre range.
VINEYARD
Vaillons was one of the first vineyards on the left bank of the Sereine to be granted Premier Cru status. The wine is made from 12 plots totalling 3.65 hectares mostly from the Vaillons subclimat, though it includes fruit from Châtains, Mélinot, and Roncières. This is one of the earliest ripening crus in Chablis.
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 25% of the blend spending 5 to 6 months on fine lees in French oak barrels before finishing in stainless steel.
VINTAGE
2022 began with a mild, very dry winter before budbreak arrived in the last week of March. A brief delay of a few days compared to the 20-year average proved fortunate, as frosts and cold followed shortly after. Despite the conditions, cluster emergence was good. Flowering took place at the end of May under excellent conditions, with little shatter or millerandage, and the vines quickly caught up to run 10 days ahead of average. Harvest began on August 31 in perfect sanitary condition, with thick-skinned, pulpy grapes and a good juice yield.
TASTING NOTE
Pronounced on the nose, with fruit, flowers, and beautiful freshness alongside mineral touches. Generous and refined on the palate, with a beautiful roundness and a lingering, mineral finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Oysters, grilled scallops, turbot, fish in cream sauce, goat cheese, soft-ripened cheeses
Color
White
Blend %
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Chablis 1er Cru
Alcohol
12.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$86
Reviews
Wine Advocate - “Delivering scents of orange oil, white flowers and oyster shell, the 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is medium to full-bodied, satiny and suave, with racy acids and a saline finish, showing little trace of the hot, sunny vintage. As usual, it's derived from old vines in Les Minots (that are a source for the Fèvre massal selection), as well as holdings in Roncières and Chatains.”
Wine Enthusiast -
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 Les Lys - Domaine
Chablis 1er Cru
Historically owned by French royalty, the climat of Les Lys sits towards the top of the hill in Vaillons. On the left bank of the Serein, Fèvre’s 0.99 hectares of vines grow in clay over Kimmeridgian soils, its eastern exposure producing a delicate wine with a soft, charming palate.
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.
