Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils

They are the work of Fabien Moreau, sixth generation Chablis maker and Dijon University oenology graduate. His larger-than-life father, Christian, is meant to be retired but enjoys selling, so they make a great double-act. To explain a bit of the history, Christian used to travel the world selling the wines of J Moreau et Fils which had been sold into corporate ownership in the 1970s. The family kept some vineyards though, and in 2002 the agreements allowed them to take these back in hand and market their own wines. The wines are the result of a lot of vineyard work, an impressive nine people being employed full-time on 11.6 ha of vines, all cultivated organically. They have vines in four grand crus, the gems being Les Clos ‘Clos des Hospices’, a monopole bought from the Chablis hospice in 1904, as well as a separate, steep 3 ha plot of Les Clos which goes almost from top to bottom. The 4.5 ha chunk of 1er cru Vaillon is a handy holding too! The aim is to make, “a wine of great pureness which is typical of Chablis,” says Fabien, so he keeps the new oak under 10% for fear of marking the wine, with barrels being used for up to seven years.