The Wine Advocate | RP 96
Published: Jul 21, 2022

The 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos is another brilliant effort from Fèvre's immensely able winemaker, Didier Seguier, and his team. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of confit citrus, fresh bread, oyster shell, orange zest and crisp orchard fruit, it's full-bodied, satiny and muscular, with a concentrated, tensile profile and a long, intensely saline finish. It's the broadest and most powerful wine in the range, while remaining quintessentially Chablisien.

The 2020 vintage makes the first year of official organic conversion for 78-hectare Domaine William Fèvre, though it's actually the 15th year the estate has been practicing organic. Didier Séguier reported that the year's challenges were twofold: having to pick harvest dates with unerring precision, and the necessity to sort out sunburnt grapes. The results, however, are once again exceptional, and it's hard to think of any of Chablis's larger estates that can match Fèvre for consistency and quality across the board. The 2020s, as ever bottled under Diam, are certainly built to evolve gracefully, but they will also show their cards sooner than the spectacular but hyper-concentrated 2019s.

Drink Date: 2030 - 2055

Burghound.com

Fevre's largest grand cru, with 4ha located higher up in Les Clos, meaning this is cooler climate and with much more chalk than Kimmeridgian. 50% of the vines were planted by William Fevre's father in the 1940s. Perfect balance between precision, concentration, acidity and ripe fruits, with oak that's not at all apparent. A fresh, glorious wine.
Drinking Window 2025 - 2040
Tasted by Andy Howard MW(at Chablis, 11 Oct 2021)

Winemaker

VINEYARD
This is the largest and most famous Grand Cru; its fame based on its history as one of Chablis' first vineyards. The appellation enjoys a southerly aspect with very white, dense and deep clay soil, resting on a limestone bed 80 cm below the ground, which brings to the wine those spicy notes so typical of this terroir.
GRAPE VARIETY: Chardonnay
GROUND OF THE APPELLATION: Limestone and clay, deep soil
DOMAIN SURFACE: 4.11 hectares
APPELLATION SURFACE: 26.04 hectares
ORIENTATION OF THE PARCELS: South

TASTING
TASTING NOTE: Remarkably complex bouquet, blending fruity, floral, and spicy notes with a substantial mineral touch. The structured palate, opening up with age to give powerful, generous wines.
FOOD/WINE PAIRING: Fish, shellfish, and other seafood, grilled or in a cream sauce. Poultry and white meat, grilled or in a cream sauce.
PERFECT PAIRING: Roasted turbot with creamy sauce and vegetables.
SERVING TEMPERATURE: Between 12C to 14C

KNOW-HOW
HARVEST: manual.
VINIFICATION: Use of the principle of gravity so as to avoid all pumping, which could harm the quality of the wine. Brief (1 - 2 hours) pneumatic pressing to obtain a gentle separation of the solid and liquid parts of the grape. Very light static settling of the juice to preserve enough fine lines so that the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation can occur naturally. The must is run into
French oak barrels (aged of 6 years in average) for 60 to 70% of the harvest. The remainder is vinified in small stainless steel vats.
MATURING: 14 to 15 months, of which 5 to 6 months on fine lees in French oak barrels, for 60 to 70% of the harvest. The end of maturation occurs in small stainless steel vats.