Jean Dauvissat

Domaine Jean Dauvissat – A family-run estate in the heart of Chablis

Domaine Jean Dauvissat Père et Fils is a family-run winery in Milly, a small village just a few minutes’ drive from Chablis, which is characterised by a remarkable combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern, sustainable viticulture. The estate was founded in 1955 by Jean Dauvissat, and is now run by the fourth generation of the family, Fabien Dauvissat, who took over from his father Philippe in 2009 .

The estate’s philosophy is both simple and ambitious: to express the terroir in its purest form . To achieve this aim, work in the vineyard and in the cellar is carried out strictly on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The 22 hectares of vineyards are spread across 53 to 55 individual plots in seven communes of the Chablis region, giving the estate an exceptional variety of terroirs . The vineyards are situated on both sides of the Serein Valley and benefit from the varying microclimates and soil compositions, which are responsible for the wide range of wines . The soil consists of the Kimmeridgian limestone typical of Chablis, rich in fossilised oysters, which gives the wines their distinctive minerality .

A decisive turning point in the estate’s recent history was its takeover by Fabien Dauvissat. Since 2009, no herbicides or insecticides have been used, and from 2018 the estate switched to biodynamic cultivation . In 2022, the estate received official organic certification . In the cellar, the focus is on vinification that is as natural as possible, using indigenous yeasts and allowing for a long ageing period of one to two years on the fine lees .

The portfolio encompasses three of the four appellation levels: Petit Chablis, Chablis and a wide range of Premier Crus such as Côte de Léchet, Fourchaume, Montmains, L’Homme Mort and Vaillons . The wines display elegant fruit, great purity and a precise, mineral structure – a successful expression of the Chablis terroir and the family’s decades-long tradition .