【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 1er Cru 'Vaillons'
Grape variety: Chardonnay
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Grape age: 35-50 years old.
Characteristics: in 2/3 in stainless steel barrels and 1/3 in oak barrels, aged for an average of 18 months, of which only 20% are new barrels.
Mouthfeel: smell at first with mineral, flint (Flint) smell, it is recommended not to snow too cold drink, the entrance with pear, apple, citrus, almond aroma, because of the 18 months of time in the barrel, so the taste is rounded, medium-bodied, acidity is balanced, the overall taste is well-balanced, suitable for fresh oysters and seafood to drink together!
Moreau-Naudet owns approximately 1.7 hectares of vineyards with vines aged between 35 and 50 years old in Vaillons, one of the largest Premier Cru vineyards in Chablis, in the south-west valley of Chablis. Here, on the west side of the Sereinriver Serein, the south-east climate and the quality of the Kimmeridgian soils make for a superb terroir. The chalky clay soils are the product of the ancient seas that once covered northern France: the whole tiny marine fossilisation has led to the abundance of limestone that characterises the stony nature of Chablis wines.The hills of the Vaillons, especially in the mornings, are full of sunshine, so that the grapes are able to maintain optimum ripeness in the area's relatively cool climate, while retaining their fresh acidity. This sunlight, however, is less intense than the afternoon sunlight felt on the south-west facing slopes, and the wines are therefore relatively lighter. Chardonnay from the Vaillons vineyards tends to be floral and more refined than the wines from the other side of the river, while still retaining the strong mineral flavours that characterise Chablis.
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.
