Domaine William Fevre Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

Description

Domaine William Fevre Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons is 100% Chardonnay sourced from William Fevre’s own vineyards which sit on the famous Chablisienne Kimmeridgian subsoil – Chalky clay, marl, and marl-limestone from the Kimmeridgian era (the upper Jurassic geological period, 160-140 million years ago).

Domaine William Fevre was founded in 1957 by William Fevre  when he began with around 17 acres of vineyards but soon expanded acquiring both 1er Cru and Grand Cru Chablis vineyard sites. Fevre himself retired in 1998 and the Domaine was sold to Champagne Henriot. The current winemaker is Didier Seguier who had worked for the Burgundy wine producer Bouchard, who is also owned by Champagne Henriot.

The vineyards of Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons are located on the Côte des Vaillons located in a valley to the southwest of Chablis town itself on the western side of the Serein River. The wines of Vaillons tend to be floral and more delicate than those on the eastern side of the river. William Fevre has 3.65 hectares of vineyards here with a south-easterly aspect with a good exposure to sunlight allowing the grapes to ripen well whilst the relatively cool climate means they retain good acidity.  Grapes are harvested manually and are transported using gravity at the winery to avoid pumping. They undergo a brief, one and a half to two hour, pressing with a very light static settling of the juice before fermentation. Around 40 to 50% of the juice is fermented in old (6 year old average) French oak barrels whilst the remained is vinified in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation occurs. Finally around 40 to 50% wine is then matured for 13 to 14 months, 5 to 6 months on fine lees in French oak barrels.