2018 Domaine William Fevre Montmains Chablis Premier Cru 750 ml

William Fèvre is a legend in Chablis. The Fèvre history goes back over 250 years, but in 1959, William took over—and renamed—his family’s estate.

At the time, Chablis was known for overcropped wines that lacked personality. But through attention to detail and careful expansion into top terroirs, William transformed his eponymous domaine into one of the region’s powerhouses. Today, Fèvre is owned by Domaines Barons de Rothschild—aka Château Lafite Rothschild’s ownership—a testament to the reputation the estate has built.

Their attention to detail extends from their Grand Crus through the whole line. This bottle hails from the famed Montmains Premier Cru, which sits just southwest of the town of Chablis. Overall, the site is colder than the other areas in the appellation, largely due to the chilly mountain winds that buffet the vines. Fevre owns not even 10 acres of vines in Montmains, spread over the Premier Cru’s three climats: the hilltop Butteaux, the southeast-facing Forêts, and brisk Montmains (not to be confused with the vineyard at large). 

The winery hand-harvests, so grapes can be field-sorted to ensure sub-par clusters don’t even make it to the winery. After the berries are brought in, they’re given a brief period of skin contact to provide texture. The team presses and gently settles the must before fermenting, allowing natural alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. 

Half of this wine aged in French oak, the rest in small stainless steel vats, before maturing in on the lees for 6 months, then spending another 8 months in stainless vats. In the sunny 2018 season, the result was a beautifully balanced bottle that Vinous called a “rich and radiant.”