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Vincent Dauvissat is inarguably one of the greatest producers in Chablis. Alongside the similarly esteemed Francois Raveneau, these two producers continue to define great Chablis.
The wines produced by Dauvissat are some of the most sought after in Chablis and always tightly held by those who manage to get their hands on them. Defined by terroir and crafted in the most caring manner, the reputation of the wines, and the domaine that makes them has become best known for the expression of place, balance and purity.
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History
- Vincent Dauvissat's grandfather, Robert, bottles his own wine for the first time in 1931. At this stage, the domaine consists of merely 1ha of vines across the La Forest and Les Clos climats.
- Vincent's father,René expands the family domaine through purchases and leases of additional vine parcels of Les Clos, Les Preuses, La Forest and Sechet climats from 1950. René and his wife Madeleine begin to establish the domaine's remarkable reputation over this time.
- Vincent joins full time at the domaine in 1979 and takes over the winemaking duties in 1989 when René retires.
- 2002 sees the implementation of biodynamic farming techniques, however, acquiring the official certification has never been a priority for the domaine.
- In 2013 the fourth generation of Dauvissats, son Ghislain and daughter Etiennette,officially began working with Vincent. Ghislain enjoys spending most of his time working maintaining the vineyards while Etiennette takes a large role looking after the more administrative duties.
- Currently, Vincent, Ghislain and Etiennette vinify together ensuring the wines will continue to be made to the exceptional standard Domaine Vincent Dauvissat is known for.
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In the Vineyard
It is often said that great wines are made not in the cellar, but in the vineyard. This is most definitely the case for Vincent Dauvissat. Rigorous pruning and ébourgeonnage ensure the lowest of yields in the vineyard, inducing a delicate equilibrium which allows the vines to remain healthy and bring its fruit to full maturity. Yields are no more than 50 hectoliters per hectare for the Grand Cru vineyards and fractionally higher for the Premier Cru and Village wine vineyards.
Following biodynamic farming practices, vineyard sprays and treatments are used only when absolutely required and all fruit is harvested by hand to ensure the highest quality of fruit enters the winery.
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In the Cellar
In the cellar, the Dauvissats look to vinify their wines with only the smallest of input by human hands allowing the power of terroir to be the driving force in defining style and character. When the fruit enters the cellar, whole clusters are pressed and the solids settled from the must using gravity alone. The clarified must is drawn from the solids to be fermented in predominantly stainless steel vats with a small portion siphoned off to ferment in new oak barrels.Indigenous yeasts carry out the fermentation of the wines.
Post-fermentation, the wines then spend 8-18 months in mostly old, neutral oak barrels to soften what can be steely and austere wines. This use of oak here allows for a very small amount of oxygen to enter the wine and develop characteristic mouthfeel and palate weight without the use of battonage.
Before bottling, sulphur is added to the wine sparingly with no fining or filtration used to remove tartrates, relying solely on the ambient cellar temperature to do this.
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The Vineyards of Vincent Dauvissat
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A - Chablis Grand Cru 'Les Preuses'
B - Chablis Grand Cru 'Les Clos'
C - Chablis Premier Cru 'Sechet'
D - Chablis Premier Cru 'Vaillons'
E - Chablis Premier Cru 'Les Forest'
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The Wines of Vincent Dauvissat
Chablis AC
Variety: Chardonnay
Soil Type: Kimmeridgian Limestone
Vintages to Look out for:
2017- 89 Points (Outstanding), Drink 2024+ - Burghound
2014 - 90 Points (Outstanding), Drink Now+ - Burghound
2013 - 90 Points (Outstanding), Drink Now+ - Burghound
2012 -90 Points (Outstanding), Drink Now+ - Burghound
Chablis 1er Cru 'La Forest'
Variety: Chardonnay
Soil Type: Kimmeridgian Limestone
Holdings: 3.8ha
Vintages to Look out for:
2017 - 93 Points (Outstanding), Drink 2029+ - Burghound
2014 - 94 Points (Outstanding), Drink 2024+ - Burghound
2012 - 92 Points, Drink Now+ - Burghound
2010 - 93 Points (Outstanding), Drink Now+ - Burghound
Chablis 1er Cru 'Sechet'
Variety: Chardonnay
Soil Type: Kimmeridgian Limestone
Holdings: 0.8ha
Vintages to Look out for:
2017 - 91 Points (Outstanding), Drink 2027+ - Burghound
2014 - 92 Points (Outstanding), Drink 2021+ - Burghound
2012 - 92 Points (Outstanding), Drink Now+ - Burghound
2010 - 92 Points (Outstanding), Drink Now+ - Burghound
Chablis 1er Cru 'Vaillons'
Variety:Chardonnay
Soil Type: Kimmeridgian Limestone
Holdings: 1.8ha
Vintages to Look out for:
2017 - 92 Points (Outstanding), Drink 2029+ - Burghound
2014 - 93 Points (Outstanding), Drink 2022+ - Burghound
2010 - 93 Points, Drink Now+ - Burghound
1995 - 92 Points, Drink Now+ - Burghound
Chablis Grand Cru 'Les Clos'
Variety: Chardonnay
Soil Type: Kimmeridgian Limestone
Vine Age: 50+ Years
Holdings: 8ha
Vintages to Look out for:
2017 - 96 Points, Drink 2032+ - Burghound
2014 - 95 Points, Drink 2026+ - Burghound
2010 - 96 Points, Drink 2022+ - Burghound
2008 - 96 Points, Drink Now+ - Burghound
Chablis Grand Cru 'Les Preuses'
Variety: Chardonnay
Soil Type: Kimmeridgian Limestone
Vine Age: 50 Years
Holdings: 1ha
Vintages to Look out for:
2014 - 95 Points, Drink 2026+ - Burghound
2010 - 96 Points, Drink Now+ - Burghound
2009 - 95 Points, Drink Now+ - Burghound
2008 - 95 Points, Drink Now+ - Burghound
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