Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru ‘La Forest’ 2020

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 2019 Vintage at Vincent Dauvissat

When I arrived at the domaine to do my annual tasting, things were in turmoil as Vincent Dauvissat briefly greeted me and then instantly left, hastily explaining over his shoulder that calling the 2021 growing season ‘complicated’ would be an understatement as the mildew pressure is enormous and both of our tractors have just broken down! I normally do the tasting each year with Vincent and while he did kindly stop back by later for 10 minutes to offer his views on the 2020 vintage, I did the actual tasting with his daughter Étinette. Vincent’s view of 2020 is that it was “very hot and very dry but a storm in mid-August dropped enough rain for the vines to finish ripening the fruit. We picked the Irancy on the 28th of August and then attacked our Chablis vineyards, specifically with the Petit Chablis, on the 31st. The fruit was spotless and yields were really quite good as they averaged almost 50 hl/ha though they were a pitiful 13 hl/ha in Irancy. Potential alcohols were reasonable considering how hot the season was, which is to say that they ranged between 12.5 and 13%. As to the style of the vintage, it’s of course early but at least for our wines, I would compare them to either 1997 or 2002.” The Irancy, which is produced from a .60 ha parcel with about 3% César, is not reviewed as it was still in the middle of its malo. I would say though that is seemed quite promising. As I mentioned last year, inheritance issues have sadly cost the domaine about 2 ha of vineyards and in particular, .7 ha of Les Clos. This reduces the overall size from 14.5 ha to 12.5 ha and the area in Les Clos from 1.7 ha to 1.0 ha. To add to this, the domaine also lost one-third of their holdings in Les Preuses, which means that they will have .70 ha effective with the 2021 vintage.

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’.