Domaine De L’Enclos Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir 2023

Founded by siblings Romain and Damien Bouchard, Domaine de l’Enclos represents a new generation of Chablis winemakers committed to demanding organic viticulture. The family has been working in Chablis for generations. In 2015, they sold their father’s négociant business but retained the 39 hectares of vineyard previously owned by their mother’s family.

The domaine obtained organic certification in 2018, and their underground vinification cellar — built in 2016, five metres below ground — provides natural temperature regulation and is comprised primarily of small stainless-steel tanks, ensuring that the various parcels can be vinified separately. The estate now holds three Grand Cru and seven Premier Cru sites across Chablis.

The estate’s style aims for precise, saline, and luminous Chardonnays, true to the limestone energy of the Serein valley.

The vineyard
The Vaudésir Grand Cru parcel covers just 0.57 hectares, replanted in 1992 by the father of the two brothers. Nestled in a natural amphitheatre, the climat benefits from a unique double exposure: south-facing slopes that ripen more swiftly on one side, and a cooler, later-ripening north-facing portion on the other — a balance the brothers have learned to manage after a lifetime among these vines. The site also carries an unusually high proportion of clay blended with the chalky Kimmeridgian limestone typical of the appellation.

Vinification
Grapes are hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed, and fermented spontaneously in used tonneaux (older, larger-format oak barrels), allowing the terroir to express itself with minimal winemaking intervention.

Eye
Pale, luminous lemon yellow with youthful brilliance.

Nose
Green, ripe fruits open onto lime zest, lemon juice, and a touch of salted lemon, layered with fresh herbs, fine yeast, a hint of pineapple, and subtle, well-integrated oak.

Palate
A fine, bright juiciness with a melting texture and pleasant density — creamy on the mid-palate, with citrus and subtle pineapple notes carrying through to a saline, juicy finish lifted by herbal spice. Elegant and precise, with the typical Chablis minerality and genuine ageing potential for a Grand Cru.

Food Pairing
A natural partner for oysters and fine seafood platters, turbot in beurre blanc, or aged Comté and Époisses — equally capable as a refined aperitif or a centerpiece wine for a more elaborate menu.