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Domaine Jean Dauvissat

Domaine Jean Dauvissat

It is no secret that Chablis can be one of the most wonderful terroirs in the world for Chardonnay, home to some of the most sought after producers on earth.  The ability of producing breathtaking, singular representations of this ubiquitous grape variety is solely reliant on the convergence of the perfect grape variety, climate,  and the dried up sea bed soils full of shells and fossilized crustaceans--famously called Kimmeridgian soils.  This is what makes Chablis, Chablis.  Chock-full of fruit ranging from tropical to citrus and even blue fruits, all wrapped up tightly with salty, crisp, linear edges.  Truly one of the world's great white wines.

The problem?  Well, this region is also home to tons of conventional farming, massive acreage of the easy to grow chardonnay, and home to lots of low quality wines.  A region knows for their use of chemical treatments on vines, quantity over quality production, and those just pumping out massive amounts of mediocre wines at a premium because they can put "Chablis" on the label.  This is why we taste and vet these wines, and why we attach ourselves so tightly to the best producers.

Jean Dauvissat is now fully in the spotlight, thanks to his grandson, Fabien.  Fabien took the helm in 2009, with an embarrassment of riches from his grandfather in the form of premier cru and grand cru vineyards that Jean had the foresight to purchase starting all the way back in the 1950s.  While Jean was first and foremost a farmer, selling off his very desired fruit from the top sites in Chablis, he was not focused on making wine through those years.  Fabien, has since restructured the domaine, with a focus on winemaking and soil care, certified organic in 2018, and on his way to be THE FIRST biodynamically certified producer in Chablis in the near future--something that for many years was looked at as almost impossible due to not only the disease pressure this region is notorious for, but the fact that you need the aid of herbicides and pesticides to be able to pump out massive amount of fruit to satisfy the bulk market.

Last week I finally was able to taste the wines of Jean, and I was floored.  Not to be confused with the wines of Vincent Dauvissat, but there was a kinship i found amongst the wines.  One, they were ripe.  I want ripe. Often chablis can be too reliant on the steely minerality and acidity, and can be boring and one dimensional-- citrus water.  Sometimes, and more often this is the vintage speaking, they can be flabby lacking acidity--clunky. Two, I want big yellow fruits in my chablis, but I want the hallmark briney minerality and acidity that it is known for--Dauvissat does just this, and in spades.  Flashy, but classy, for lack of a better term.  Waxy yellow fruits, almost a sensation of blueberry in some, a briny sensation on the palate, citrus, and acidity-- the hallmark kimmeridgian character we look for.  

It is all there in Jean Dauvissat's wines.  

We have a very small allocation of these wines to offer, with just less than 24 bottles of each.  If you have been looking for great Chablis, look no further, I have found it for you!

Grab these quickly, they are fleeting.  They drink wonderful now, and will age for years in your cellar and blossom beautifully, even the entry level Chablis will reward those who can wait.

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