2022 William Fevre ‘Les Clos’ Chablis Grand Cru

JM95-98 Mostly from old vines, a good half planted between 1948 and 1952. Translucent lemon and lime colour. The bouquet is not ready to unfurl yet there is a sense of sublime purity about the nose. A wine in perfect harmony on its wide bench of white fruit. Just a little touch of spice behind, good acidity. Sign up for this! Drink from 2032-2045.
WA96 The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is a serious, structured wine, unwinding in the glass with aromas of ripe, waxy citrus rind, crisp orchard fruit and white flowers, framed by a deft touch of youthful reduction. Full-bodied, dense and satiny, it’s layered, concentrated and multidimensional, with the most structure and substance of any wine in the range, but also the greatest need for patience to realize all its considerable potential. The 2022 crop is the penultimate vintage of organic conversion for the 78-hectare Domaine William Fèvre, though it’s actually the 16th year the estate has been practicing organic. It’s a terrific success, exhibiting tension and precision that isn’t universally to be taken for granted in this Chablis vintage. Beyond the quality of the wines themselves, the big news at this address, which has been managed with sagacity and competence by Didier Séguier since 1999, is its acquisition by Domaines des Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). I’m sure Fèvre couldn’t have found a better steward for the future.
DEC95 Small yield, very concentrated, with masses of density on the palate. Plenty of drive and energy but has finesse to balance out the power. White peach fruit characters, vibrant acidity and a pronounced mineral, salty finish. Very long future ahead. Fèvre owns 4.1ha of the 25ha total within Les Clos. Its plots situated on the top of the hill, with 50% of the vines planted by William Fèvre’s father in the 1940s and 1950s.