2022 Domaine de l’Enclos ‘Vau de Vey’ Chablis Premier Cru

Aromas of lemon and lime zest, pear skin, oyster shells. Light-bodied, lacy; a cooler-climate Chablis. Hand-harvested. Fermented on indigenous yeasts in a combination of temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks and older French oak barrels. Aged on fine lees for 12 months; then six months in only tank. Lightly filtered, with only moderate sulfur added. Estate holdings, just under seven acres facing east/southeast, on a very steep slope. It is one of the coolest premier cru plots in Chablis. Vines planted by the winemakers’ grandfather in 1979.

This estate was founded after the sale of Domaine Pascal Bouchard (father of Romain and Damien).

Romain and Damien Bouchard founded their winemaking estate only in 2016, yet they are the fourth generation of their family to toil the classic and chalky, Kimmeridgian soils of Chablis. For generations, the family provided other winemakers with peerless Chardonnay fruit, pulled from impressive holdings in grand cru and premier cru vineyards, planted carefully by family hands. With a passion to craft Chablis wines according to “simple and natural” methods and with a good dose of “observation and patience,” the brothers—who call themselves “perfectionists”—have set a new, higher standard for the character-driven wines of Chablis. As of 2018, the estate was certified organic.

The family maintains some 70 acres of vineyard land in the “heart” of Chablis, the entirety of which began its organic conversion in 2015; the estate was officially certified in 2018. Holdings include some four acres of grand cru vineyards, and around 20 acres of premier cru land; with the rest in general Chablis and Petit Chablis.
The brothers at the beginning of their project built a new cellar space underneath the family home, which originally was a 19th century abbey. This modern cellar allows wine to be moved gently by gravity.
All grapes (at all levels) are harvested by hand, and sorted both in the fields and in the cellar. Fermentation happens on indigenous yeasts, in either temperature-controlled tank or French oak barrel. Wines in general spend some 18 months on fine lees; and are neither fined nor cold stabilized. Only a moderate amount of sulfur is added at bottling. Wines are lightly filtered.