2020 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru "Montée de Tonnerre"

“Fèvre has three parcels in Montée de Tonnerre (its purest, most mineral premier cru): Chapelot, Pied d'Aloup and Côte de Bréchain, all facing different ways. Very precise, crystalline fruits, salinity, great acidity and a long, long finish. Will age beautifully, but great now. (AH)” (10/2021)

“Clear light bright lemon, the spices show on the nose, which is right for this vineyard, but there is both power and discretion on hand. Not quite biscuit but there is sort of a wholemeal texture here. Brilliant wine for those who want the more powerful side of Chablis. Still a bit of stone licking at the back.” (06/2021)

“Domaine Fèvre’s 2020 Montée de Tonnerre is another excellent young premier cru. The bouquet is bright, complex and piercing in its precision, jumping from the glass in a mix of apple, pear, tart orange, gorgeously complex, salty minerality, citrus peel and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is racy, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with a great girdle of acidity, superb mineral drive and cut and a very long, complex and youthful finish. Great juice in the making. 94+” (11/2021)

“The 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is a terrific success, unfurling in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers, confit citrus and oatmeal. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and complete, it's fleshy and seamless, with fine depth at the core, racy acids and a long, expansive finish. After several years where this site bore the brunt of hail and frost, Montée de Tonnerre is back with a vengeance. The 2020 vintage makes the first year of official organic conversion for 78-hectare Domaine William Fèvre, though it's actually the 15th year the estate has been practicing organic. Didier Séguier reported that the year's challenges were twofold: having to pick harvest dates with unerring precision, and the necessity to sort out sunburnt grapes. The results, however, are once again exceptional, and it's hard to think of any of Chablis's larger estates that can match Fèvre for consistency and quality across the board. The 2020s, as ever bottled under Diam, are certainly built to evolve gracefully, but they will also show their cards sooner than the spectacular but hyper-concentrated 2019s. (WK)” (07/2022)

“The 2020 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru comes from three parcels that include the estate’s oldest vines, planted in 1936. It is strict and linear on the nose, the most backward of the Premier Crus, but very minerally and stern. The palate is well balanced, citric and mineral-driven. Classic Chablis with an austere but beautifully focused finish that will repay cellaring. Excellent. (NM)” (06/2021)

“A cool, pure and airy nose reflects notes of mineral reduction and citrus zest along with prominent floral and iodine nuances. The sleek, refined and beautifully delineated middleweight flavors possess a bracing salinity on the sneaky long and well-balanced finale. Like several wines in the range, this beauty needs to develop better depth, but it is very stylish and should age effortlessly so more complexity should eventually manifest itself. *Outstanding*” (09/2022)

“A rich, succulent style, boasting lemon cake, peach, floral and chalky mineral aromas and flavors. Despite the fleshy texture, this has a solid structure underneath and a defined line of minerality. (BS)” (04/2023)

“Pretty firm and full on the nose. Needs quite a bit of time. Lots of impact on the palate with real precision – seems like a well-etched statue. Still youthful but with enough juice and an appetisingly dry finish. 16.5++/20 points (JR)” (01/2022)