Chablis Fourchaume William Fèvre 1988 (White)

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.

Chablis premier cru Fourcheaume by William Fèvre comes from Chardonnays grown on the slopes of the right bank of the Serein on rather deep marly soil. At the domain, harvesting is done by hand. In the cellar, vinification is done by gravity, low duration pressure is applied using the pneumatic method to gently separate the solid parts and the liquid parts of the grapes. The wine is aged for 13 to 14 months, six of which are on fine lees in oak barrels for 40 to 50% of the cuvée. The élevage is completed in small stainless-steel vats. On tasting, we notice a very aromatic bouquet (pear, apples, white peach) and flowers. On the palate, the wine is powerful and full-bodied. This wine must be served between 12°C and 14°C. Its well-rounded nature means it can be paired beautifully with poultry or creamy crustaceans.

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