This aligns well with Dauvissat's approach. They use 6- to 8-year-old oak barrels, exclude new oak, and do not perform bâtonnage. As a result, the 2023 Chablis La Forest has emerged as a wine with a weighty, stony core rather than a framework of acidity.
One point to note about this year is that yields were projected to be very high during the flowering period, suggesting that the 2023 harvest could be exceptionally bountiful. Through rigorous selection during harvest, Dauvissat's volumes were kept down, a crucial factor in a bumper crop year.
The balanced premiers crus of this vintage is expected to age for over 10 years. It is best enjoyed between 2027 and 2055.
Robert Parker (96)
One of the greatest successes this year, Vincent Dauvissat’s 2023 Chablis 1er Cru La Forest opens from the glass with aromas of oyster shell, lemon zest, dried white flowers and iodine. Medium-bodied and tensile, laden with electric acidity, an abundance of chalky extract and concluding with a searingly saline finish, this is one of the finest wines of the vintage. If Raveneau consistently excels in Montée de Tonnerre, it is Dauvissat who’s the king of La Forest.
Vinous (94)
The 2023 Chablis Fôrets 1er Cru shows a little more reduction on the nose than usual, but still one can discern the intensity here. The palate is the most enticing of Dauvissat's Premier Crus, more peppery and animated, building toward quite a powerful and long peacock's tail finish. Excellent.
Jasper Morris (94)
A fine pale colour. The bouquet immediately expresses dignity and class. Keep on sniffing because it is such a joy. A broader based white fruit. Waves of flavour across the palate, still with the core minerals to finish.
