Lot presentation

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons William Fèvre 2021

The wine

The domain has almost 3 hectares of this Chablis premier cru which is distinguished by its chalky soil, extremely rich in clay. The Chardonnay was harvested by hand and the wine matured for 10-13 months in stainless steel vats and oak barrels. All of these elements contribute to the creation of a wine that is generous and sumptuous, less marked by typical minerality.

About the Producer William Fèvre

Present in the region for nearly three centuries, Les Fèvre have branded the Chablis name thanks to William, who founded Domaine de la Maladière in the late 1950s. With the arrival of the new owners in 1998, the Henriot family (from Champagne), also the owners of Maison Bouchard Père et Fils, and William Fèvre initiated some major changes: manual harvesting, selective triage, élevage in parsimonious wood, never using new barrels, instead choosing stainless steel to preserve the Chablis terroir without excessive woodiness; this is one of Fèvre’s secrets! Bought in January 2024 by Barons de Rothschild Lafite, Maison William Fèvre races ahead as one of the best Chablis domains, while benefiting from very simple techniques which respect the terroirs. Holding a HVE certificate for more than 10 years, some wines are produced using organic and biodynamic methods.
An interesting fact is that it is the very same man, Didier Séguier, who officiates both as head of culture and cellar master. For all wines, the principle of gravity prevails: the grapes follow a natural circuit, without pumping, from top to bottom. The wines are aged in oak barrels, on fine lees, for between 10 and 15 months, and are stirred according to the characteristics of the vintage.
The domain produces clear and well-defined, pure Chablis. The grapes are grown on its 78 hectares, which includes 15.9 hectares of premier crus and 15.2 hectares of grand crus vines.

Detailed characteristics