We’re Going Top Shelf This Chablis Season With Domaine Christian Moreau
“… The best example of the power of terroir is a good Chablis.” – Eric Asimov
At Dhall & Nash, we’re extending our premium European wine portfolio at the moment. Italy had a significant moment, with Marchesi di Barolo, Ornellaia, Vecchia Cantina, and Bell’Aja coming aboard, then we looked to Bordeaux for some hidden gems. Next on our hit list was Burgundy, starting at the top… we needed more premium Chablis.
Enter, Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils.
Christian Moreau
They say that sometimes reluctant leaders are the best leaders – the same could be said about winemakers…
“Risk-Taker Christian Moreau Builds One Of Chablis’ Best Domaines”
Bruce Sanderson in “His Own Man” Wine Spectator 2016
Despite being the fifth generation of a Chablis winemaking family, Christian Moreau never wanted to work in wine. He bought a one-way ticket to Canada as soon as he could, where he met his wife, had a family, put down roots and worked happily as a logger in forestry for years before his family at home asked him to return to help out.
His initial reluctance turned to interest over time, “I was born in Chablis but I knew absolutely nothing about wine,” Christian told the Michelin Guide. “I spent five years in the vineyards just to learn.” He worked alongside his father – a stubborn but highly skilled man who taught him the ropes. “I had to shut up and listen to the boss. But honestly, it was very interesting because I was learning things from the beginning. To make a good quality wine you must have good grapes and good sanitary conditions. That’s at least 70% of the quality of a wine.”
The Moreau holdings – initially started in 1814 by Jean Joseph Moreau – had some time ago been sold on, with the Moreau family being retained as growers on the land. They were working the vineyards and making the wine, but not for themselves.
In 1996 after Christian’s father passed away, he decided to change things up. “My cousin and I decided to regain control of the vineyards because we both had sons coming back to France,” he told the Michelin Guide. To do this, he invoked a clause in their contract – the Moreau family would be allowed to take back their holdings and use of their grapes and family name again with a notice period of five years.
And thus, ‘Domaine Jean Moreau et Fils’ became ‘Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils’ in 2001, with the first release of this new chapter being the 2002 vintage – made by Christian’s son – Fabien Moreau.
Fabien Moreau
Fabien’s trajectory into wine couldn’t be further from his father’s. Where his father (and his brothers) showed no initial interest in wine, Fabien had always had laser sights on his vinous future.
After obtaining his National Degree in Oenology in Dijon and a Masters in Business Administration at the E.N.I.T.A in Bordeaux, he traveled to New Zealand for a year to study winemaking.
“I gave my son Fabien the keys of the Domaine in 2001 when he came back from New Zealand, asking him to make the wines that he loves in the respect of our terroir of Chablis,” Christian explains.
The first thing Fabien started to implement was a switch over to organic viticulture. He started to phase back use of herbicides and pesticides when he came aboard immediately, but the official conversion started in 2010 and the domaine was certified in 2013.
Christian has no doubts about his son’s new approach. “Fabien is doing better,” he told the Michelin Guide, “I used way more treatments in the past. In Chablis there are about half a dozen producers who are really certified. We are moving more toward this with the new generation.”
“Domaine Christian Moreau is one of those producers that has been on the upswing in recent years…”
– Neal Martin for The Wine Advocate
There’s no doubt Fabien’s a skilled winemaker, either. The Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2017 for example, won not just the Chablis Grand Cru Trophy but also the White Burgundy Trophy, French White Trophy, International Chardonnay Trophy, and the IWC Organic Trophy at the 2019 International Wine Challenge and turned all the judges heads. “Just Beautiful,” they described it, as they went on to interview him at length as to how he’d achieved such beauty. (A fantastic read for anyone into the nitty gritty of the winemaking techniques.)
“Being the 6th generation of the family producing wines, was and still is a challenge for me, trying to avoid the pressure you could have with this ‘wine heritage’,” Fabien explains, “But with the quality of the vineyard that my family passed on, the basis of the expression of our wines is here, and our work is to honor our terroirs.”
“Looking back on what we did since the first vintage 2002 with my father and all our team, I am very proud of all the work we did together, to increase step by step, the quality and the typicity of our wines. With the respect of the persons, of the nature and with humility, we will continue this way and face all the new challenges in front of us. As my father says, “Chablis is unique”, and our goal is to show it!”
“[Their] wines brimmed over with energy, pocket dynamos that are going to light up dinner tables down the years because I am sure they will be long-lived. Christian has allowed his son just to go and make the kind of Chablis he wants to make, not to follow any fads of trends… Their wines come highly recommended”
– Neal Martin for The Wine Advocate
Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils 2023 Chablis
- 120 on order
- Hand-harvested
- Vineyards in Fontenay-Près-Chablis and Béru
- Aged for 10 to 12 months in stainless steel tanks
Concentrated aromas of citrus and white fruits, with a classic Chablis minerality on the palate. Fresh, delicate fruity nuances with an impressively long finish touched by salinity.
89-91 Points, Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy: “Purchases from two growers, the same plots every year. Clear pale lemon and lime. A lovely very open nose, extremely charming. Fresh and surprisingly chiselled given the seeming richness of the nose, finishes with lemon meringue pie.”
Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon
- 60 on order
- From 6 parcels totalling 4.7 ha in the historical heart of the Vaillons
- Kimmeridgien soils with clay-limestone marls – very rich in marine fossils, including unique small oyster fossils called Exogyra Virgula.
- Aged 55% in stainless steel vats with temperature-controlled fermentation. 45% in barrels (2-4 years old barrels, less than 5% of new oak) for 8 months, and blending before bottling.
Chablis with vibrant aromas of lemon and white pepper. The wine is juicy, yet fresh and light, with fruity and spicy notes that beautifully blend with its minerality.
96 Points, Wine Enthusiast (Previous Vintage 2019): “Hints of smoked hazelnuts and gun flint introduce this richly concentrated, supple wine… it’s full bodied and unctuous, bolstered by a pulsating core of ripe yellow cherry and apricot flavors. Anchored by steel and a vibrant acidic edge, the wine should drink beautifully through 2040.”
Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
- 30 on order
- From the most famous appellation of Chablis, this Grand Cru has a south exposure and a soil from the Kimmeridgien, very rocky with white and dense clays.
- “Our big parcel of 3 ha in one big piece, goes from the bottom of the hill, nearly up to the top, which allows us to divide it in three different parcels (the bottom, the middle and the top). They are always vinified separately but blended all together at the end to make one cuvée. The average age of the vines is 50 to 60 years old.”
Resplendent straw yellow with the iconic Chablis marine salinity with a perfumed citrus nose and potpourri musk. Intense and rounded with incredible presence.
93-97 Points, Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy: “60/40 tank/barrel, not assembled yet. A fine bright mid lemon yellow. A nobility of white fruit across the nose, with considerable intensity on the palate, more trenchant acidity perhaps, fairly full bodied and a long gracious finish. By the time this is bottled in January it should be a very fine wine. The aftertaste is already extremely promising. Drink from 2030-2045.”
94-96 Points Vinous: “The 2022 Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru has a beautifully defined bouquet with yellow plum, wet stone, hints of baked bread and pressed white flowers. Very good intensity. The palate is well-balanced with fine delineation, very good salinity and tension with superb precision towards the finish. This Les Clos doesn’t want the Valmur to get all the acclaim.”
95 Points Tim Atkin MW: “Smelling of ripe citrus and passion fruit laced with toast, this wine is a flavor powerhouse. Lushly ripe fruits are spun by bustling acidity on the palate, keeping everything fresh and bright. Give this at least five years post-vintage to start showing its pent-up concentration. This saw 40% barrel aging with the rest in stainless steel.”
94 Points Wine Spectator: “Rich and verging on creamy, with peach, green plum, lemon, floral and mineral flavors, this white turns leaner and more defined as the bracing acidity emerges, driving the citrus and mineral finish. Drink now through 2032.”
The 2017 vintage of the Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos won not just the Chablis Grand Cru Trophy but also the White Burgundy Trophy, French White Trophy, International Chardonnay Trophy, and the IWC Organic Trophy at the 2019 International Wine Challenge and turned all the judges heads. “Just beautiful,” is how they described it.
