Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru ‘La Forest’ 2016

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Vincent Dauvissat is considered one of the greatest producers in Chablis. Alongside the similarly esteemed Francois Raveneau, these two producers continue to define great Chablis.

René & Vincent Dauvissat are world-famous for their coveted Les Clos and Les Preuses. But insiders know of a third prize in their portfolio: the premier cru La Forest (a.k.a. La Forêt.)

At a price that’s half the grand crus, many knowledgeable observers regard La Forest as a near-equal, regularly achieving grand cru levels of expressiveness, depth and complexity.

These qualities come from a high percentage of old vines (a 40-year average); a perfect southern exposure; and a classic Kimmeridgian soil that is—like the great grand cru Les Clos—mostly clay. Such soils are cool—cooler, for example, than Forest’s rival, Montée de Tonnerre—and they retain less heat. They are most sensitive to frost in the spring, and the fruit ripens more slowly.

About Vincent Dauvissat

Vincent Dauvissat is arguably the finest Domaine in Chablis, owning some of the oldest and best vineyards, including prized sections of the grand crus, Les Clos and Les Preuses. Established in 1931 by Robert Dauvissat, the Domaine has passed down from father to son for three generations. Robert’s son René is to thank for establishing the reputation of the Domaine. Vincent began working with his father, René, in the 1970s and today runs the Domaine.

The Dauvissats remain one of Chablis’ great traditionalists. As the torch has been passed down from generation to generation, little has changed here.

If anything, the wines have become increasingly profound since Vincent officially took reins in 1989. One significant change is his preference for natural farming, using vine treatments sparingly, if at all. In 2002 he oversaw the implementation of biodynamic farming methods. His approach to oak is carefully considered, used to add complexity and dimension to his piercingly mineral concentrated wines; some of barriques are 30+ years old.

They resulting wines are rarely exotic in their youth, tight as drum in fact. But with age – and they do age by gracefully by the decade – they evolve and develop into exciting wines of the sophistication and intrigue.

In the Vineyards

Vincent Dauvissat farms nearly 30 acres of meticulously kept vineyards, following sustainable, organic and biodynamic methods. These vines (4.5 acres of Vaillons, 2 of Séchets, and 9.4 of Fôrets among the Premiers Crus; 2.5 of Preuses and 4.5 of Les Clos among the Grands Crus) are splendidly situated on hillsides underlain by Jurassic limestone. Yields are limited to about 50 hectoliters per hectare (3.7 tons per acre), which is modest by the standards of the region.

In the Winery

Vinification at the domaine is painstaking and traditional at a time when many growers in Chablis have adopted methods permitting increased yields producing simple wines that reach maturity quickly. Vincent Dauvissat, on the other hand, gives all his wines at least a year in Nevers oak, a portion of which is new each vintage. This practice, imposed on top-quality grapes slowly and carefully fermented, results in wines that are deep, complex, and long-lived. They are clearly characteristic of their respective cru, exhibiting the steely bite so typical of Chablis, but with a purity, intensity of flavor, and structural soundness increasingly rare in the region’s wines.

The 2016 Vintage at Vincent Dauvissat

The always thoughtful Vincent Dauvissat carefully if simply described the 2016 vintage, with a raised eyebrow, as “complicated. It was complicated for a wide variety of reasons, which is to say April frost, two hailstorms, and a huge amount of rain in May through July that provoked a huge attack of mildew. Among the three problems by far the worst was the mildew and not surprisingly the terroirs that are naturally more humid were hit even harder. Just to give you a more precise idea, my father is over 90 years of age and he told me that in all his years of tending vines in Chablis, 2016 was the worst attack of mildew that he had ever seen! I chose to begin picking on the 26th of September and while yields were definitely quite disparate, in total I realized about one-third of a normal harvest. This frankly wasn’t especially good news coming as it did on the heels of the 2015 vintage where I had exactly .7 out of 14.5 ha of vines that were completely spared by the hail. At least the fruit was largely quite clean so we had very little in the way of sorting losses. Moreover the fruit was concentrated and with very good potential alcohols so nothing was chaptalized. Given everything that we were up against during the growing season, I’m actually happy with the wines. Stylistically I would describe them as similar to the 2015s with perhaps just a bit more alcohol. This is to say that they are on the riper side and will drink well early.”

Allen Meadows, Burghound

The Geology & Geography of Chablis Explored

Where in the World is Vincent Dauvissat

Vincent Dauvissat is located in Chablis. Technically a part of Burgundy, Chablis represents the northern more part of the region and lies to the north of Beaune and to the south of Paris.

The map below shows the location of Dauvissat’s vineyards around Chablis. These include: 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’.