DAUVISSAT DROP

Hey,

Fionn back on a Tuesday with some tasty treats for you in the form of a wide array of maturing Dauvissat. If you’re not familiar, these are widely considered as one of Chablis’ greatest. Maybe the greatest… Sorry Raveneau, love you, but you’re impossible to find and even harder to afford.

The Dauvissat family have been doing their thing since the 1930s, with Vincent joining his father René in the '70s and taking quality up another level. Everything’s done by hand, grapes aren’t de-stemmed, and fermentation happens partly in  steel, partly in old oak. They’ve been aging in barrels long before that became the trendy move, six to eight-year-old barrels too, just gently shaping the wine. Malo happens naturally, and for filtration, those tartrates get taken care of by that good old winter chill.

Not just immaculate in the cellar, they’ve got access to literally the best land. Les Preuses, facing south and southwest, is bathed in sunlight most of the day and the Grand Cru pedigree really shows. Whilst Premier Cru La Forest is famously known among insiders for punching way above its weight. Proper benchmarks.

Why I really love Dauvissat is because the entry-level wines totally transcend their appellations. Year after year, they show much of the richness and intensity of his greatest cuvées but often at a much more reasonable price. That means you can actually taste one of the iconic producers of the wine world, across a few vintages too, without breaking the serious bank. We are doin’ the lord’s work here!

We’ve got the Chablis from the young and fresh, to the mid-maturing, to something that’s just starting to show its tertiary charm. Still plenty of life in them all. The Petit is probably the steal of the bunch. Usually, I’d say drink these young but not when we’re in the sweet embrace of Dauvissat. The ’18 is heavenly right now and priced just right, while the ’20 is teetering on the cusp of greatness. It’s my preferred vintage, Dauvissat is one of the few to master the 2020, but I reckon it needs another year to peak.

I’d be going hard on these. Stock the cellar/under-the-bed storage. Future you will be very grateful.

What else? Well, some new vintages just in from Benoît Courault. One of my favourite Loire vignerons, and also a favourite of super somm Pascaline Lepeltier. Guess I’ve got good taste.

Empreinte is steely and waxy, a perfect intro to Benoît’s style, which nails that balance between fruit weight and freshness. Gilbourg is always a step up, with longer time in barrel and a bit more depth. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know my thoughts on the Loire in ’23. This is a textbook example of why.

Le Verger de L’Étang too is one of the most joy-inducing light reds on our shelves. These are wines for those in the know. The somm’s choice, if you will. For me, they’re right up there with the best of Anjou Noir. Sure, Richard Leroy, Stéphane Bernaudeau, and Mark Angeli get all the attention, but honestly, I’m happy for Benoît to keep flying under the radar if it means his wines stay at these bargain prices compared to his contemporaries.

Gotta go break down some cardboard now,
LY
Fionn