William Fèvre
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Domaine 2023
Chablis Grand Cru
Bougros is the westernmost of the seven Chablis Grands Crus, known for its rich, ample, and powerful character. Situated at altitudes ranging from 130 to 170 meters with a southwest orientation, it produces wines of a different character from its neighbors to the east: richer, rounder, and more massive, with the ample mouthfeel that defines the appellation at its most generous.
Domaine William Fèvre owns 6.23 hectares here, nearly half of the entire 12.62-hectare Grand Cru, making it one of the domaine’s most significant and defining holdings. Within that holding, the Côte Bouguerots parcel occupies the steepest section of the vineyard, where the cooling influence of the Serein River is most felt. On Kimmeridgian limestone and clay soils, it produces a wine that contrasts with the typical round, opulent character of Bougros: more structured, more mineral, and more precise. It is a wine that reflects both the authority of the Grand Cru and the singular character of one of its most prized sections.
VINEYARD
Bougros sits at the western end of the Grands Crus terroir, covering 12.62 hectares at an altitude of 130 to 170 meters with a southwest orientation. It is the most powerful and generous of the seven Grands Crus, consistently producing wines of rich, ample mouthfeel that set it apart from the more linear, eastward-facing Grands Crus. The soils are deep marl and clay, deeper than those of neighboring Côte Bouguerots, a depth that contributes to the wine's concentration and richness. Domaine William Fèvre's plot covers 6.23 hectares, representing 49% of the total appellation, including 4.12 hectares in the heart of Bougros itself.
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. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats. The wine is aged for 19 months in total, with 30% of the blend spending 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
Rich on the nose, with intense mineral notes. Ample, round, firm, and massive on the palate, with the concentration and depth that define Bougros at its best.
FOOD PAIRING
Lobster bisque, Dover sole meunière, turbot with beurre blanc, seared foie gras, langoustines, aged Brillat-Savarin
Color
White
Blend %
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Chablis Grand Cru
Alcohol
13%
Suggested Retail Price
$184
Reviews
James Suckling - May 20, 2026 "Imagine your tongue licking wet stones with crushed seashells. Dense and chalky at the same time, with broad, medium- to full-bodied character and a long, salty finish. Elegant and pithy."
Wine Advocate - January 29, 2026 "Sourced from 60- to 70-year-old vines rooted in deep soils and invariably among the richer, more muscular wines in the range, the 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros delivers aromas of peach, orange oil, beeswax, honeysuckle and pear. Medium- to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it possesses a rich core of fruit underpinned by ripe yet lively acidity. It is the fleshier and most demonstrative wine in the lineup."
Wine Enthusiast - December 16, 2025 "Reserved aromas of well-integrated fruit lean into dried white blossom, sun-kissed apple and dried mushroom and hay on the nose. Chablis's characteristic acid tension pervades and dances gleefully across the palate that welcomes morning-dew dusted forest floor and dried citrus zest. Delicious now, drink through 2040."
Wine Spectator - September 29, 2025 "Lemon, quince, celery and flint are the hallmarks of this linear, elegant white. Sleek, with intensity to the flavors as they carry through to the lemon- and stone-infused aftertaste. Best from 2027 through 2038."
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.
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.
