【Domaine Moreau-Naudet is one of the most individual small farms in the Chablis today.
【Influenced by legendary winemakers such as Raveneau and Dauvissat, the Chablis is both ripe and mineral.】
【Chablis-Premier Cru Vaillons 】
Appellation: France /Burgundy /Chablis Grand Cru 'Valmur'
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Alcohol content: 13%
Grape age: 35-50 years old.Wine Critic Reviews“Airy aromatics but with width again, there’s more density here. It’s the definition of fluid yet retaining such weight that makes this distinct. Then the flavour bursts wide over the palate – great wine.”
Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report
“Valmur can be quite an imposing Grand Cru, but that is never the case chez Moreau-Naudet. This wine always has structure and amplitude, giving it very fine balance. There is also serious chalky intensity to stand alongside the sweet orchard fruits. This would be pleasant now, but it is a powerhouse waiting to be unleashed. Don't be impatient.”
95 points, Christy Canterbury MW, Tim Atkin Burgundy 2022 Special Report
The Grand Cru Valmur in Moreau Naudet is only 0.60 hectares in size and the vines were planted in 1978.
The Valmur Grand Cru covers 11.04 hectares and is jointly owned by 11 wineries. Clive Coates, an English wine master, classifies Chablis Grand Cru plots into 4 levels, the first level is of course the aforementioned Les Clos Grand Cru, while the second level is the Valmur and Vaudesir Grand Crus, which are second only to Les Clos in the Chablis Grand Crus. The terroir of this Valmur Grand Cru is very special, being relatively free of mountain winds and therefore hotter in the summer and less cold in the winter, resulting in a full-bodied, firm, structured white wine, with an emphasis not on fruity fruit flavours but rather on mineral, honeysuckle and other flavours, and with a long, well-balanced finish.
The Naudet family has been winemakers since the 17th century, and Domaine Moreau-Naudet was founded in 1950 after the marriage of Marie Naudet and Rene Moreau, who inherited the business from his father Roger in 1991. Stéphane Moreau is a young winemaker who has been praised by wine guru Allen Meadows MW for his understanding of his region's wine styles, his dedication to the production of quality Chablis wines, and his refined and unique winemaking techniques.
But he is not related to the other Morea's, his father, Rene Moreau, is English and his mother, Marie Naudet, is French, and he started with about 20 hectares of vineyards inherited from his mother in the family Naudet, many of which are more than 50 years old. Stéphane has converted his family's pre-industrial farming methods to his own belief in organic farming, with less human intervention and less manual care, to produce wines that truly express the Chablis terroir.
He then began to experiment with the transition from organic farming to naturally powered methods. His farming and winemaking methods include: no herbicides, no antimicrobial products, minimal yields, hand harvesting (most of the harvests in Chablis are now machine harvested), whole bunch pressing, fermentation with natural yeasts, and ageing in large oak barrels (18-24 months). Moreau Naudet's wines are basically very fresh and fruity, one of the reasons for this is that the grapes are harvested later in the year than at other wineries to ensure full ripeness and lower yields, and the wines are basically 1/3 barrels and 2/3 stainless steel barrels in order to avoid overly cask-like flavours, and are even steamed (not charcoal-fired). He would also try to maximise the length of time that the matured wine and residual yeasts were left to soak in the lees, which could add richness to the wine. Sadly, however, he passed away in 2016, no doubt depriving the winemaking world of one of its great stars, and his family and winery team have vowed to continue his excellent work to produce perfect wines of the highest quality.
