Tasted in Milly with Fabien Dauvissat, 11 March 2024.
Domaine Jean Dauvissat Père & Fils
11 et 13 rue de Léchet
89800 Milly
Tel: +33 3 86 42 12 23
www.chablis-dauvissat.com
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Fabien on his recent vintages:
“I kept back most of the 21s – there wasn’t much – but 2022 & 2023 gave us better volumes. 2022 is our first vintage with organic certification and 2024 is the start of our certification for biodynamics – all is done by hand for our 14 hectares. We have a new parcel – from within the family – of Petit Chablis in 2024 – but it’s only 0.16 hectares to start with but now we have 1.2 ha in La Chapelle de Vaupelteigne too. 2023 all was harvested, for the first time, by hand – a little machine was used in 2022 – but I will keep the machine if the conditions favour that – like in 2021 for instance when we had to harvest very quickly…”
The wines…
What a simply fabulous range of wines in this vintage – bravo indeed !!
The first 4 wines were bottled:
Ooh – a lovely freshness and a faint generosity of aroma too. In the mouth is depth and complexity – ultra-fine and intense – here is the pulp of the agrume-citrus – like a blood orange – almost reductive but it’s the fruit not reduction. I find it great!
6 Cuvées in Chablis this vintage:
2022 Chablis
The assembly cuvée from 7 different communes. The major cuvée of the domaine – 60k bottles…
A slightly more structured width – less volume but hardly less inviting. Incisive, again some citrus pulp in the flavour. Slowly radiating outwards toward the finish. What a beautiful wine – simply excellent!
From the plateau – lots of limestone – and some west-facing hillside vines, plus vines at the bottom of the hill in deeper soils.
A more floral invitation here. Extra incisive again, more direct and overtly mineral – a sherbet and juicy middle and finishing flavour – ooh that’s a really great finish, modestly saline, immodestly mineral – yes!
Near the road so not in 1er aoc – it’s just the first few rows that are Chablis then all are 1er…
Also a floral nose but here with a more yellow colour to the aromas. Wide and intense again – vibrantly energetic – a chewable finishing intensity – wow that’s a wine – fading minerality and holding with salinity in the finish – top again!
Like the last, this is the name of the lieu-dit. Near the lake of Beines, facing Vau de Vey – largest parcel of the domaine 2.4 ha – ‘here’s a warmer soil than the cold soil of the last – it drains and heats faster.’
Here’s a faint floral again but it’s the minerality that’s more apparent today. Juicy – width, growing in mouth-filling shape – the finish a sizzling panorama – slowly fading of intense agrume – wow!
Now wines not bottled – with 2 years elevage:
One east-facing parcel on the hillside in La Chapelle de Vaupelteigne – 20-60 year-old vines.
Less ready but broader, more generous aromas. Extra vibrant here – there’s an electric energy – of minerality and juice of agrume – almost towards grapefruit, more austere today but what a wine – it could be a great one !!
2022 Chablis Heritage
‘The traditional 4 parcels for this cuvée’ – 80 year old vines in La Chapelle.
The clarity and precision are already on a higher order – yellow fruit – less open in the top notes. Vibrant again – such clarity of flavour – such precision. An almost softer finishing impression but certainly more direct finishing – holding impressively well. Yes!
2 ha, 1.5 really in the centre. Still one parcel is missing – they are waiting for 8-years before they replant.
Extra concentration but it’s a silkier width of aroma. Larger scale, more structural – beautifully defined structure. Almost a young austerity to this great wine. Then a zesty finish – a rarity in 2022 – that’s fabulous!
2022 Chablis 1er Vaillons
One 0.83 hectare parcel in Chatains.
Depth, fresh yellow citrus aromas. Also a small zestiness to this wine – then larger in scale – slowly fading – never rich, though less incisive. Absolutely delicious wine.
One 0.75 hectare parcel in real Montmains. ‘Usually, our last parcel to be harvested – it’s the marnes, it’s a cold place.’
An airy width with a great depth of aroma – such inviting clarity. Hmm, after the first fizz of energy, here’s a really silky wine – the most textural so far – that’s because it’s supported by extra concentration and much extra finishing complexity – here is a great one – still on a more subtle level but everything is in place!
Extra volume – certainly width – in these aromas. Back to the more reductive complexity of agrume – here is the most complex of all – not the widest or most mineral – a different style and finishing with a more open and fluid style – maybe it’s longer too. Montmains is more my personal style of wine but this is, I think, an even greater wine!