Pre Arrival Offer December 2023
OFFER OPENS 8 DECEMBER 2023
OFFER CLOSES 18 DECEMBER 2023
ESTIMATED DELIVERY DATE 15 JANUARY 2024
Producers included in this offer:
- Domaine Agnès et Didier Dauvissat, Chablis
- Domaine Paul Nicolle, Chablis
- Domaine Alain Chavy, Puligny Montrachet
This order is in the nick of time, we are almost out of Chablis! A few house favourites are inlcuded here - 2022s from Agnès, Didier and Florent Dauvissat, 2020s and 2021s from Domaine Paul Nicolle who has quickly become an extremely respected producer among those who have had the opportunity to enjoy a bottle, and 2021s from long-standing FWC favourite, Domaine Alain Chavy of Puligny Montrachet. The 2021 vintage saw no Chevalier Montrachet, Saint Aubin 1er Cru en Remilly, or Puligny ‘Les Charmes,’ and all of their premier crus blended into one cuvee ‘Les 4 Climats’. All due to severe frost damage.
Any questions at all, please get in touch!
Cheers and all the best!
Jono Hersey
Domaine Agnès et Didier Dauvissat
We absolutely love these wines and have been singing their praises since their 2016 release. It is very satisfying when wine writers pick up on a producer you believe in...
"Very good as always – and as always, this is one of the top addresses for Petit Chablis." Bill Nanson, The Burgundy Report
"Could Florent Dauvissat be the next great winemaker to bear that famous surname?" Neal Martin, vinous.com
2022 Domaine Agnès et Didier Dauvissat Petit Chablis
RRP $63
Quite open and forward but still with a slight, tensile oyster brine, oyster shell character. Delicate but ripe and detailed lime skin.
The palate, while again, slightly more open is now full of lime, lime pith and a light 'airiness' if not freshwater character. Pleasing.
-Jono Hersey, FWC
2022 Domaine Agnès et Didier Chablis AC
RRP $81
This sits right next to Blanchot Grand Cru.
More restrained, more underlying brooding power with less iodine and more white chalk, dried white florals and dried lemon skin.
The palate is tighter, straighter and more mineral but not without some riper lemon character that sparks the mouth to salivate. Again, there is an underlying 'nothingness' that retains length and character.
-Jono Hersey, FWC
An intriguing example which marries weight and concentration on the palate with bright acidity and a distinct mineral edge. This will appeal to lovers of classic Chablis but also those looking for a bit more generosity of fruit. Long finish, with a saline tang. 92 points - Andy Howard MW, Decanter
2022 Domaine Agnès et Didier Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy
RRP $109
A lick of tight gunflint and struck stone. Far tighter than the previous with an aggressive lime pith tension. Chalky.
The palate, again, is aggressively tight with fine grained minerality. Very fine nuances of a myriad of citrus flavours. Lime oil wraps the limestone dominated palate. Long and fine.
-Jono Hersey, FWC
Domaine Paul Nicolle, Chablis
Domaine Paul Nicolle is located in the village of Fleys which sits four kilometres east of the main township. Leaving Chablis, the grand cru hills Montée de Tonnerre and Mont de Milieu sit in view to the left before the road drops away into a relatively steep valley with 1er Cru Les Fourneaux appearing on the opposing slope.
Paul started the domaine with a single hectare and as his son Robert, and his grandson Charly, have taken over the operations, holdings have now grown to 20 hectares. The wines are classic but with volume, minerality, strong iodine character and truly long length.
2021 Domaine Paul Nicolle Chablis Vieilles Vignes
RRP $76
TOP VALUE & UNDER THE RADAR Intriguing Chablis. The wood (the wine is aged 8-12 months on lees with 10% in used barrels) does add extra depth and complexity to the wine, without it losing any Chablis character. Touch of spice on the finish along with lingering mineral notes. Based in the village of Fleys, the domaine dates back to the late 19th century. The largest holdings are of AP Chablis, and the Vieilles Vignes bottling comes from vines planted in the 1980s and '90s. 92 Points - Andy Howard MW, Decanter
Taut in nature with ripe and slightly rich lemon juice. Saline, seapsray, preserved lemon, lemon curd and slight lime tart. The palate is electric. Very high in acid with lime, lemon and a little pastry on the finish before a line of pleasing grapefruit bitterness carries the wine. Very good length. - Jono Hersey
2021 Domaine Paul Nicolle Chablis 1er Cru ‘Les Fourneaux’
RRP $109
Well-balanced wine with weighty fruit which is a bit more tropical and zesty in nature, combined with plenty of citrus acidity and some mineral notes to finish. A complex wine. Will be ready to drink soon, and at best over the next couple of years. 91 points - Andy Howard MW, Decanter
A little more tense again with a little more seaspray but the same ripe lemon/grapefruit juice character. A little more detail with crushed, dried white florals and a nuance of orchard fruit skins. The palate is electric, very high in acid with a slight fresh greenness. Grapefruit bitterness, unripe mandarin, linger. Brilliant length. - Jono Hersey
2020 Domaine Paul Nicolle Chablis Vieilles Vignes
RRP $73
Vines planted 1989 or earlier. Palish yellow, a little more sensuality on the nose without losing the freshness, indeed a bit more saline here. Smoked stone nose. Really classical marine minerals to finish. Drink from 2024-2028. 90 Points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
There is a ripe citrus/lemon character that hints reasonable depth alongside an energetic, slightly high toned, quintessential green Chablis character. The palate is lively and succulent. The fruit profile is ripe lemon/grapefruit with a powerful line of acidity that seems to last for a very reasonable period of time. As the wine opens the hugely powerful line of acidity begins to show a lovely phenolic coating which binds the riper citrus flavours. Very, very good! - Jono Hersey
2020 Domaine Paul Nicolle Chablis 1er Cru ‘Les Fourneaux’
RRP $102
More volume, more ‘ripe’ citrus, more of a saline oyster brine than seaspray. Full of dry extract, dry florals, mandarin oil, grapefruit pith. Enticing and complex nose. The palate is fresh, driven, mineral, phenolic and long. Classic and brilliant Chablis. - Jono Hersey
Domaine Alain Chavy, Puligny Montrachet
Alain Chavy and his brother Jean-Louis worked together at their father's Domaine (Domaine Gerard Chavy) until 2003 when they decided to split the 12.8 hectare domaine. Alain was left with 6.8 hectares and moved into a house in the heart of Puligny-Montrachet.
Alain built a new underground cellar, the deepest in the village (due to the high water table, no one has historically had a deep cellar like those found in Meursault). At 18 feet deep, the cool long fermentations at Domaine Alain Chavy, completely change the structure and energy of the wine.
Alain runs his incredibly well-heeled collection of vineyards ‘lutte raisonee’. His winemaking philosophy is of a true ‘terroirist’ (albeit, not this year for the premier crus!). A combination or 400 litre and 228 litre casks are used. No batonnage. For a couple of reasons; Alain rightly so believes this practice is oxidatively handling the wine. Secondly, he never tries to force flavour as he does not want to muddle the message of the vineyard. Malolactic fermentation starts late and is quite slow. Again, thanks to his deep cool cellars.
The style he is chasing is structured and long-lived White Burgundy that truly shows each wines terroir and charm. Remarkable, 'old school' white wines.
2021 Domaine Alain Chavy Bourgogne Blanc
RRP $65
2021 Domaine Alain Chavy Bourgogne Blanc 375ml
RRP $42
Tank sample: Refined nose with a little breadth but not without freshness. The palate is tight yet with ample surrounding flesh. Incredible length, structure and detailed acidity. - Jono Hersey
2021 Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny Montrachet
RRP $215
Tank sample: Detailed stonefruit, white peach, oodles of dried extract, dried white florals. Slight pleasing seaspray and brine. Taut. The palate is also detailed and delicate with outstanding length. White peach, white crunchy nectarine and grapefruit pith. Extremely good. - Jono Hersey
2021 Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les 4 Climats’
RRP $306
A very unique cuvee. A bit like we saw with Buisson Charles, Alain Chavy bottled all four Puligny Premier Crus due to the extremely low yields from the frost.
Slightly more scale and size but also an increase in detail. Moving away from white, unripe stonefruit to slightly more yellow flesh stone fruit but still with a little crunch. Slight reduction and gun flint.
The palate implodes for a moment before releasing incredible energy that seems to last for an eternity. Energy and minerality seems to build even further. Lemon and grapefruit pith on the palate in the form of aggressive little razor blades cutting across the tongue.
-Jono Hersey
