Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru ‘La Forest’ 2018

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 2018 Vintage at Vincent Dauvissat

The always thoughtful Vincent Dauvissat noted that 2018 was “a much more pleasant surprise than the frost damage we dealt with in 2017. We had an early start to the growing season and while we had yet another frost scare the vines came through it largely unscathed. The flowering passed very well which of course generally makes for a plentiful fruit set. Despite the fact that the summer was exceptionally hot and dry my vines didn’t really suffer much hydric stress. We chose to begin picking on the 3rd of September and brought in very ripe and remarkably clean fruit, in fact it’s rare to have a crop quite so clean everywhere. Volumes were excellent, in fact I would put them at roughly one-third higher than a normal one. Potential alcohols were impressively high at around 13.5% and while acidities were correct if not better than that. Interestingly for a moderately high yield vintage the level of dry extract is palpable and confers a sappy and even at times a chewy character to the wines. The alcoholic fermentations unfolded very slowly though the malos terminated relatively rapidly. As to the style of the 2018s, I would describe as a mix of 1947 and 1959. For readers whose knowledge may not go back quite that far, both ’47 and ’59 were very hot high yield vintages that were considered to have produced great wines in Chablis.”

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’.