Moreau-Naudet - 'Chablis AOC' - Chardonnay - Burgundy, FR - 2022

RARE AND MAGIC WINE

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The vineyards are spread across two villages - Préhy and Courgis. One is predominantly limestone and the other is predominantly clay. Vines on average between 20 - 60 year old. 14 - 20 months aging on fine lees. There is no oak for the AOC Chablis, it is entirely stainless steel.

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Domaine Moreau-Naudet will always hold a very sentimental place in our portfolio. We met Stéphane Moreau several years back through a good friend and the wines immediately moved us. Soon after the wines arrived stateside, they quickly became some of the most popular wines in our portfolio. Subsequent visits to the estate showed us how dedicated Stéphane was in crafting great expressions of some of the best sites in Chablis. “Stéphane Moreau may be very young but he's already been making wine for more than a decade and that he possesses a gifted touch is obvious to anyone who has had the pleasure of tasting his wines. One of the strengths of the young is that they're open minded to new ideas and Moreau told me that he has begun experimenting with biodynamics….. I find Moreau to be one of the most exciting young growers in Chablis and his wines are well worth the trouble to get to know if you haven’t yet tried them.”

— ALLEN MEADOWS, BURGHOUND
Stéphane passed away in September 2016 at far too young of an age. The tragedy affected all of us deeply. After a period of uncertainty, Stéphane's wife, Virginie, and his assistant winemaker, Coco voiced a strong commitment to continuing Stéphane's vision. 2015 was the last vintage Stéphane made but subsequent vintages have remained true to his style.

It's impossible to discuss the current state of affairs at Domaine Morea-Naudet without mentioning Virginie's husband who died just before the 2016 harvest at just 47 years old. He came from a family of vignerons, as far back as the 17th century, but domaine name itself only came into existence in 1950, following the marriage of Marie Naudet and René Moreau – Stéphane taking on the domaine from his father, Roger, in 1993. Stéphane’s inspiration had been the likes of Vincent Dauvissat and Didier Dagueneau - the later served as further inspiration for the domaine's distinctive label. Today it is Virginie and Stephane's right hand women, Coco leading the domaine forward.

Stephane was a perfectionist in the vineyard. He eliminated any insecticide or anti-rot treatment, introducing organic amendments through out. The soils are plowed regularly (4 to 5 plows per year), no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides are used. The fertilizers used are organic in order to promote biodiversity within the rows. The vines are respected and controlled by short pruning, disbudding and green harvests. He especially emphasized the search for the perfect ripeness of the grapes, maturity which is found in this juicy flesh that we immediately appreciate in his wines. He has also greatly improved his aging: “juggling” between vats, barrels and demi-muids, he gradually lengthened them, thus gaining in complexity and balance.
Leading up to his death, Stéphane and Virginie expanded the vineyard from 7 to more than 20 hectares and built a state of the art cellar, on the Vaillons side, which allows simultaneous management of 3 vintages.

Virginie has continued the work of Stephane, aided by Coco, Stephane's longtime right hand woman. Fermentation is always with indigenous yeast, followed by a long maceration on lees. The estate has focused on particularly long aging for Chablis, from 18 to 22 months, with a maximum proportion of one-third of barrels on the premiers and grands crus, and only in stainless steel vats for Petit Chablis and AC Chablis. In the new winery, the barrel room has a thermal floor that helps kick off fermentations.