Domaine Vincent Dauvissat
This is perhaps, together with François Raveneau, regarded as the most outstanding producer in the Chablis region. The family owned domaine has been producing wine from the Chardonnay grape since 1931.
René’s son Vincent started working in the vineyard since 1976 and is currently running the business. Although his father used fertilisers and herbicides in the vineyards, he respected his vines and the terroir. Vincent eventually moved to biodynamic farming and the results are encouraging.
The domaine is only one of few estates in Chablis which are using old oak barrels during “élevage”. This is necessary to give the wine its body and structure without losing the vineyards’ characteristics. The domaine produces 9 different wines, including the red “Bourgogne – Irancy” made from Pinot Noir Grapes. The top wines in their portfolio are the two Grands Crus: “Les Clos” (1.70 Ha) and “Les Preuses” (1 Ha), massive, mineral dominated wines which need at least 8 years in the cellar before they show their true potential. Dauvissat also owns several plots in 1er Cru vineyards, such as “La Forest” (at least 5 years of cellaring needed), “Séchet”, “Vaillons” and since 2013 also “Montée de Tonnerre”. The regular Chablis from Dauvissat is made from a parcel adjacent to the 1er Cru “La Forest” and is usually the rarest and hardest to find and can be kept for 5 – 10 years or more. The Petit Chablis comes from a single plot above the Grand Cru “Les Clos” and is a lighter and more fruity variety. Top vintages for the Grands Crus and Premier Crus are: 1990, 1996, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. The wines are also bottled under the name “Dauvissat-Camus” (Camus is the maiden name of Vincent’s mother).
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