Chablis domaine with Chardonnay on Kimmeridgian limestone, ranging from Petit Chablis to Grand Cru Les Preuses.
The producer
Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre is a family Chablis estate in Fontenay Près Chablis, with approximately 50 hectares almost entirely planted to Chardonnay. Its vineyards sit on south east facing Kimmeridgian limestone slopes. The range runs from Petit Chablis through Chablis and Premier Cru sites to Grand Cru Les Preuses. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel vats, while selected Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines receive partial oak ageing. Nathalie Fèvre previously served as chief oenologist at La Chablisienne for 12 years before founding the independent domaine with Gilles.
Known for
Parcel vinification in Chablis
Notable facts
Family winemaking in Chablis traces to 1745.
The estate spans approximately 50 hectares in Fontenay Près Chablis, almost entirely planted with Chardonnay.
The vineyards rest on Kimmeridgian limestone formed over 150 million years ago.
The estate holds High Environmental Value certification and avoids chemical herbicides.
Nathalie Fèvre served as chief oenologist at La Chablisienne for 12 years.
The story
From Cooperative To Domaine
In 2003, Nathalie and Gilles Fèvre decided to stop selling their best fruit to La Chablisienne and began estate bottling. Nathalie had served as La Chablisienne's chief oenologist for 12 years. The Fèvres completed their state of the art, gravity fed winery the following year, in 2004. The new facility gave the independent domaine a place to make wine from fruit kept for its own bottles. The estate's climats are vinified parcel by parcel, with each site handled separately.
From the atlas
Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre
A family Chablis domaine in Fontenay Près Chablis, with Chardonnay vineyards on Kimmeridgian limestone and a range from Petit Chablis to Grand Cru Les Preuses.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Chablis
Village
Fontenay Près Chablis
Main grape
Chardonnay
Signature wine
Chablis Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre
Defining feature
Parcel by parcel vinification on Kimmeridgian limestone
The Producer
The family winemaking line in Chablis reaches back to 1745. Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre works approximately 50 hectares in Fontenay Près Chablis, almost entirely planted with Chardonnay. The estate holds High Environmental Value certification, avoids chemical herbicides, and vinifies individual climats parcel by parcel so each site remains separate in the cellar.
The range runs from Petit Chablis through village Chablis and Premier Cru sites to Grand Cru Les Preuses. Nathalie Fèvre and Gilles Fèvre make white Chablis from the estate's Chardonnay vineyards, with the named climats providing the range's hierarchy.
Place
The vineyards lie on south east facing slopes in Chablis, resting on ancient Kimmeridgian limestone. This ground is associated with the sharp minerality and flinty character found in the domaine's wines. Fontenay Près Chablis is the home village, while the range extends across named climats including Fourchaume, Vaulorent, Montée de Tonnerre and Mont de Milieu.
Premier Cru and Grand Cru are vineyard levels within the Chablis appellation. Their names narrow the label from the wider appellation to a specific site, making the range a progression through named places as well as through appellation levels.
Wines
The portfolio begins with Petit Chablis, Chablis and Chablis Vieilles Vignes. The Premier Cru wines include Fourchaume, Mont de Milieu, Montée de Tonnerre and Vaulorent, followed by Grand Cru Les Preuses. Chablis Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre is a white wine from the Chablis appellation.
Village Chablis is fresh and fruity, with peach, pear and citrus, followed by good minerality. It spends 10 months ageing on fine lees in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, with measured filtration. Selected Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines receive partial ageing in oak barrels, adding complexity while preserving the wine's mineral character.
Final Word
Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre vinifies each named climat separately across a Chablis range that reaches Grand Cru Les Preuses.