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Valmur Grand Cru is like one of those charming people whose company you look forward to sharing. The ’09 is especially winsome with lots of white flowers and fruits, a dense but elegant body, and a striking streak of minerality. Delicious and drinking to the end of the decade, likely longer.
- Country: France
- Region: Burgundy
- Subregion: Chablis
- Vineyard: Valmur
Domaine William Fèvre is just over 116 acres, a pretty good-sized vineyard in Burgundy’s Chablis. Especially remarkable is the fact that over half of these acres are Premier Cru (almost 30 acres) and Grand Cru (37.5 acres) vineyards. Moreover, the estate’s Grand Crus come from more various Grand Cru vineyards than any other estate’s. What this exercise in geographical statistics tells us is that the estate has a thoughtful commitment to quality, to terroir, and to their wines.
Although the Fèvre family had lived in Chablis for generations, Domaine William Fèvre began in 1959 as Domaine de la Maladière, changing its name to the current incarnation later in the century. Today, the estate is owned by Champagne’s Henriot family (whose bubbly is fairly under the radar and quite delicious), and the work continues on as it always has: hand-harvesting, careful grape selection, and a great mindfulness about creating wines that speak of Chablis’ terroir. As much as Domaine William Fèvre works hard to embody the land the estate loves, they nonetheless produce a wine style that is moderately broad on the palate and hinted with just enough oak to make them accessible and excellent for introducing American wine-drinkers unfamiliar with Chablis to this generally flinty, mouth-wateringly mineral and lean wine category. Whether you’re new to white Burgundies or an old “burghound,” you’ll find Chablis to love from William Fèvre. These are age-worthy beauties that are often ready to drink young, and that is certainly possible with this vintage.
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