Nathaile & Gilles Fevre 2024

I'm excited to offer today one of the first arrivals from the 2024 vintage in Chablis, Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fèvre Chablis Village. I know you are probably thinking, "just another ordinary Chablis Village" — well, yes and no.

I was introduced to these wines with the 2019 vintage and have been a huge believer ever since. I consider these the "other" Fèvre, as the wines are not as well known as Uncle Bill (William Fèvre), but no less impressive. The collective Fèvre family history can be traced back to 1745, and like all of the old families, they enjoy some of the best vineyard sites in the heart of the appellations. The family was part of the cooperative, La Chablisienne, and provided 100% of their harvest for vinification from 1923–2003. It was in 2003 that Nathalie & and husband Gilles decided to take back some of their family land and form their own domaine.

Nathalie and Gilles met while studying at the National d'Œnologie, where both earned diplomas in enology and developed a shared philosophy centered on respecting the land. They have always taken an organic approach to farming and received certification in 2022. Like so many growers I met with on my trip to Chablis in March, the 2024 growing season absolutely devastating in terms of yields.

Nathalie Fèvre didn't sugarcoat matters in discussing the 2024 vintage, noting that "we basically made nothing at all as our production levels were the lowest ever. And when I say low, I'm not exaggerating — our average yield was 2 hl/ha! In some vineyards, we didn't even bother to harvest, as we spent more time looking for the odd bunch than it was worth. The losses are attributable to any number of things, but the worst by far was the hail. Thankfully, we are insured against such events, but even so, it doesn't replace the loss of production for your importers and clients. Worse, there's nothing you can do other than hope for the best in 2025, while remembering that wine is still at its base an agricultural product in which one must deal with Mother Nature, who holds all the cards."

The importer told me there was no 1er Cru produced in 2024, and whatever fruit they did harvest was added to the regular Chablis. I'm not certain how accurate that is, as I did see a review for the Fourchaume in Burghound but for nothing else. It does, however, make sense, as there seems to be an extra dimension to this wine — this is no ordinary Chablis Village! 

I was also fortunate to get the last remaining cases 2023s from the importer's reserve stock. If you have not yet experienced Nathalie & Gilles Fevre, I'd say prepare to be impressed! In stock. Pick some up today and understand what all the excitement is about!