Vincent Dauvissat

Vincent Dauvissat is considered one of Chablis’ greatest winemakers, and often mentioned in the same breath as François Raveneau. The Domaine Dauvissat was founded almost 90 years ago by Robert Dauvissat and has since passed from father to son. Dauvissat’s fame is mainly due to Robert’s son René, who from 1976 put the vineyards on the international wine map with his classic Chablis wines.

The availability of Dauvissat wines for export is very limited, partly due to the huge demand within France itself. Yet these wines receive high praise from connoisseurs worldwide. Dauvissat’s wines are highly rated by lovers of fresh acidity and mineral Chardonnay.

In 2002, Dauvissat made the switch to biodynamic farming. The grapes are harvested by hand, and treatments and sprays are used only when really necessary. This leads to spontaneous fermentations, without clarification or bâtonnage. Another feature of Dauvissat is its rigorous selection process at harvest time, which results in relatively low yields. The wines mature for at least a year in stainless steel vats, after which they transfer to wood. This provides more depth of flavour and texture, but without the wood being clearly noticeable in the wine.

Vincent Dauvissat decided to give up his career as a shepherd to become one of France’s most celebrated winemakers. There is no winemaker in Chablis who manages to preserve the region’s classic characteristics so masterfully. Even in the warmer, sunnier years of the past decade.