Vincent Dauvissat Chablis En Primeur

When it comes to Chablis there are very few, if any, domaines that can rival the wines of Vincent Dauvissat. Based in the village of Chablis, the Dauvissat family has cultivated vines since the 1930s, with Robert Dauvissat becoming one of the first in the region to bottle his own wines. Husband and wife team René and Madeliene followed in the 1950s, expanding the holdings of prestigious grand cru and premier cru plots and building on the reputation of Robert’s earlier work. Vincent joined his parents in the business in the 1970s, finally taking full control in the late 1980s. The domaine’s holdings now comprise of 12.7 hectares, which include some of the most coveted sites in Chablis, such as Les Clos, Les Preuses, Vaillons, Séchet and La Forest.

Vincent’s approach to winemaking is firmly rooted in old-school methods. In the vineyard, the yields are kept very low and harvesting is done by hand. Influenced by his father’s approach to vineyard management, in 2002 Vincent adopted biodynamic viticulture techniques. In the winery only native yeasts are used during fermentation. The wines are aged in old oak barrels, minimalizing the oak influence. Trusting in the hard work employed in the vineyard to shine through, Vincent prefers minimal intervention in the winery, an approach which has brought the domaine international acclaim. Achieving a superb balance of austerity and generosity, even the village-level Chablis punches well above its weight, displaying remarkable concentration and longevity, often outperforming wines from higher classifications.

Whilst Vincent continues the work of the generations before him, since 2013, son Ghislain and daughter Etiennette became the fourth generation of Dauvissats to join the family business, ensuring the domaine has a bright future ahead.