François Raveneau

Domaine Raveneau is often considered the most sublime winery in Chablis. The domaine was created in 1948, when François Raveneau merged his family’s vineyards with those of his wife. While his father had sold valuable parcels in the past, François instead did everything he could to get his hands on new top vineyards and expand the domaine.

After François’ death in 2000, his sons, Bernard and Jean-Marie, took over. They remain true to their father’s philosophy and form an exceptionally strong team. Their approach is modest and pragmatic. More in line with that of dedicated farmers than the ‘artists’ they actually are. Jean-Marie, who studied at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune, has worked at the domaine since 1978. Bernard joined him in 1995, after years of experience at a négociant. The future of the domaine is assured, now that Isabelle Raveneau (Bernard’s daughter) and Maxime Raveneau (Jean-Marie’s son) are also active in the winery.

The domaine farms nearly 8 hectares of vineyards, located on the rich clay and limestone soils of Chablis. These include 3 Grand Cru vineyards (Blanchot, Les Clos and Valmur) and 6 Premier Cru (Montée de Tonnerre, Les Vaillons, Butteaux, Chapelot, Mont-Mains and Forêt). Production has always been extremely limited. This makes Raveneau’s wines a true rarity.

The Raveneau family harvests its grapes by hand. After arriving in the cellar, they are immediately pressed and aged for half a day. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats. Once both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation is complete, the wine is removed from its lees and aged for 12 to 15 months in used feuillettes – Chablis’ traditional 132-litre barrels. Only the fine lees are retained. On average, the 7- to 8-year-old barrels do not give off wood aromas, but help the wine gradually open up. This aging is followed by another period of 3 to 6 months in stainless steel barrels before the wine is bottled. Raveneau then often waits another 6 months before releasing, to allow the wine to develop to its full potential.

Raveneau is rightly called the “king of Chablis”. Its wines are unparalleled in quality and consistency, all the while the family behind these world-class wines is characterised by modesty and dedication to the craft. A domaine that continues to fascinate, with wines that are among the most coveted in the world.

Wines from François Raveneau