William Fèvre : Chablis Grand cru "Vaudésir" Domaine 2018

Tasting characteristics and advice for the Chablis Grand Cru "Vaudésir" Domaine 2018 from William Fèvre

Tasting

Appearance

With a bright pale yellow hue, this wine displays subtle greenish highlights typical of top-quality Chablis.

Nose

The nose reveals a vibrant, energetic minerality, accompanied by fresh citrus notes. Aromas of green apple, lemon zest and white peach mingle with a distinctive chalky dimension, enhanced by touches of crushed oyster shell and wet stone.

Palate

On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and structured, with a hallmark hint of salinity. Citrus fruits express themselves with elegance, almost evoking mandarin on the finish. Well-integrated acidity brings invigorating freshness, while mineral tension carries the whole through to a long, precise finish, leaving lingering notes of lemon and a subtle touch of almond paste.

Food and wine pairings

This Chablis naturally pairs with fresh oysters, elevating their briny character with its saline minerality. It also matches beautifully with seafood, delicate fish such as sole or sea bass simply prepared with lemon, as well as steamed mussels. Aged goat cheeses also make a harmonious pairing.

Serving and cellaring

This Chablis 2018 can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve until around 2030.

A seductive Chablis with finesse and vibrancy

The estate

Founded in 1959 by William Fèvre, a 12th-generation winegrower, Domaine William Fèvre has established itself as one of the benchmark estates of the Chablis appellation. Starting from seven hectares, the estate now spans 70 hectares across 90 plots, including 15.2 hectares of grands crus and 15.9 hectares of premiers crus. A pioneer of organic farming as early as 1999 and the first Chablis estate to be certified HVE3 in 2014, the property has been managed by Didier Séguier since 1998. Since January 2024, the estate has belonged to Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite, marking their first acquisition in Burgundy.

The vineyard

This Chablis comes from 48 hectares of vines with an average age of 50 years, planted on the steep slopes bordering the Serein River. The terroir rests on the famous Kimmeridgian soils, made up of a blend of limestone and marl enriched with marine fossils dating back 150 million years. This exceptional geology gives the wines their distinctive minerality and crystalline freshness. The vines are farmed organically and biodynamically, with harvesting carried out exclusively by hand by a team of 150 pickers.

The vintage

The 2018 vintage is marked by contrasting weather conditions. After a cold winter and a rainy spring that replenished water reserves, the summer proved remarkably dry and hot, with several heatwaves exceeding 35°C. Cool nights nevertheless preserved the acidity and aromatic freshness of the grapes. Harvest began very early at the end of August and continued for nearly a month thanks to favorable conditions, allowing grapes to be picked at optimal ripeness. Generous yields were matched by outstanding sanitary quality, with no rot at all.

Vinification and aging

After rigorous hand-harvesting, the grapes for the Chablis 2018 undergo a few hours of gentle pneumatic pressing, followed by a fermentation lasting only two days. The minimalist winemaking philosophy favors low intervention to allow the terroir’s pure expression. Aging takes place partly in stainless-steel tanks and in older French oak barrels, with the estate using one-year-old barrels and an average wood age of five years, thereby preserving the wine’s natural minerality.

Grape variety

100% chardonnay