Domaine Christian Moreau 'Vaillons' Chablis 1er Cru AOC France

Fabien Moreau

Picturesque Chablis village with its Romanesque towers and quiet, narrow streets is the home of Christian Moreau and his son Fabien. The domaine is one of the most renowned in the area and their grand cru vineyards look down on the village from the fabled southwest facing slopes above the town. Despite a heritage that stretches back to early 1800s, the estate was all but extinct during the 1980s and 1990s. All the vines had been sold to négocians and corporate winemaking giants. However, eager to revive a proud family business, Christian activated a clause that resulted in the land being returned to the family name. He immediately began rejuvenating the vineyards and converted to organic viticulture as he felt the soil had been mistreated for years. He also re-introduced traditional methods such as hand harvesting and sorting as well as a return to natural yeasts. Fabien, in the meantime, learnt everything he could from his father before going on to study winemaking in the respected Jules Guyot Institute of Dijon and completing harvests in New Zealand to broaden his horizons before returning home. They firmly believe in wines of provenance, wines that not only represent Chablis, but individual hillsides and fields too. Since recovering the family vineyard they have quickly attained international acclaim and their wines are hailed for their depth and quality.