2023 Domaine Jean Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru "Fourchaume"

Domaine Jean Dauvissat's 2023 Chablis 1er Cru "Fourchaume" comes from the most celebrated of the Premier Cru vineyards, a southwest-facing slope that functions as the natural extension of the Grand Cru hillside with the same Kimmeridgian limestone soils and ideal ripeness conditions. Fabien Dauvissat farms just 0.60 hectares within Fourchaume, hand-harvesting the fruit and vinifying with indigenous yeasts at low temperature before aging the wine for twelve months on fine lees in a combination of demi-muids and stainless steel, followed by six months of harmonization in bottle before release. This is Chablis with the structure and concentration of a Premier Cru site that punches well above its classification. Fabien Dauvissat took over the family's 22-hectare estate in Milly fifteen years ago and has quietly transformed it into one of the appellation's most exciting producers. Where the domaine once sold much of its fruit in bulk, Fabien brought everything in-house, converted all farming to certified organics, moved nearly two-thirds of the estate's 53 parcels toward biodynamic practices, and began vinifying parcel by parcel with a dizzying array of vessels including tank, clay jar, demi-muid, and foudre, each chosen to serve the wine rather than impose a house style. The result is a lineup pulsating with energy, texture, and a sense of place that feels genuinely earned. The Fourchaume holding sits on the famous Kimmeridgian marl, the fossilized oyster shell and limestone base that defines the appellation's most mineral-driven wines. The 2023 vintage opens with a nose that is both racy and deeply sensual, layering ripe lemon, baked apple, pear, and fresh pineapple with candied citrus and a touch of almond meal. As it opens, a more complex tertiary dimension emerges: chalk, wet stone, oyster shell, iodine, toasted bread crumb, and a delicate hint of croissant and hazelnut. On the palate it is generous and unctuous yet never heavy, with flavors of stone fruit, citrus, and white flowers cushioned by a broader, almost creamy mid-palate texture before tightening into a long, saline, abundantly mineral finish that is unmistakably Chablis. Pair it with oysters, grilled fish, roasted chicken with tarragon, or aged Comté. This is a wine of immediate charm and slowly unfolding complexity; the further you go, the more it reveals. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.