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Awards, Ratings & Reviews
92 - 95 / 100 Jasper Morris - Inside Burgundy
2022 Vintage | Tasted: Jun 2023
16.5 / 20 Jancis Robinson
2022 Vintage | Tasted: Jan 2024 | When to drink: 2026 to 2030
About This Wine
This White Wine is described as Green and Flinty. It is suggested to pair with Shellfish, Crab and Lobster. With shellfish, you can think of the wine as a squeeze of lemon.
Montee de Tonnerre is a Chablis Premier Cru vineyard just east of Chablis itself and on the Right Bank of the Serein river. It is often categorised alongside other Premier Cru sites on this side of the Serein and its generally southwest aspect is often compared to its counterparts here as well as to the Grand Cru sites immediately to the north.
The vineyard is a 42.5 hectare (105 acre) flag-bearing, or umbrella, vineyard sitting on a southwestern spur. It can itself be further divided into four separate climats, the largest of which is Chapelot, on the low-lying slopes of the spur, while Cote de Brechain and Pied d'Aloup occupy the steeper, top portions of the vineyard. Somewhat confusingly, the fourth climat of the vineyard is the eponymous, six-hectare (15-acre), Montée de Tonnerre parcelle, that basically runs along Chapelot's northern side.
The quality of the terroir in Montee de Tonnerre is further enhanced by the Kimmeridgian soils that underlie the vineyards, rich in limestone and clay. These soils impart minerality to the wines while the aspect brings richness. The Chardonnay-based wines made in Montée de Tonnerre tend to be mineral and intense, with nutty, honeyed characters emerging with age.
About the Winery
Domaine William Fèvre is one of the more prestigious of the Chablis houses and, despite its relative youth, is reputed to produce some of the finest expressions of Chardonnay from the north of Burgundy. The domaine holdings cover a wide range of vineyards, including numerous grand and premier cru Chablis sites.
The Fèvre family has been in Chablis for 250 years, but the domaine itself wasn't established by William Fèvre until 1959. William Fèvre himself sold the eponymous business in 1998 to Maisons et Domaines Henriot. The domaine was acquired in 2022 by luxury group Artémis Domaines. In 2023, it was reported that Artémis was in talks to hand over ownership of Fèvre to Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite. The move was formally announced in early 2024.
Today, Domaine William Fèvre owns around 76 hectares (190 acres) in Chablis, 15 hectares (37 acres) of which are in Grand Cru vineyards. A further 16 hectares (39 acres) of vineyards are classified as premier cru (these include Fourchaume/Vaulorent, Vaillons, Montmains, Montée de Tonnerre and Les Lys).
Historically, the wines were all aged in new oak, although more recently William Fèvre has changed to the use of barrels that are, on average, five years old, allowing for the quintessential Chablis freshness and minerality to shine through. Harvesting is all done by hand, with rigorous sorting. Fèvre has used Diam agglomerated cork closures since 2005 to counter the issue of premature oxidation.
Specifications
- Vintage: 2022
- Grape Variety: Chardonnay
- Region: Chablis Montee de Tonnerre / Chablis Premier Cru / Chablisien / Burgundy / France
- Classification: Premier Cru
- Sweetness: Dry
- Ownership: Henriot family
- Closure: Cork
- Drinking Window: 2025-2045
