2022 Domaine de l’Enclos Chablis AOC

Aromas of lemon zest and lemon blossom, crushed oyster shells, light spice. Medium-bodied, fresh and long. Hand-harvested. Fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks. Aged on fine lees in tank for nine months. Lightly filtered, with only moderate sulfur added. Estate vineyards located near the villages of Chablis, La Chapelle Vaupelteigne, Beines, Fontenay and Villy; some east-facing, some west-facing. Vineyards on slopes dominated by chalky Kimmeridgian soils; those on flatter lands, clay-based Portlandian soils.

This estate was founded after the sale of Domaine Pascal Bouchard (father of Romain and Damien).

Romain and Damien Bouchard founded their winemaking estate only in 2016, yet they are the fourth generation of their family to toil the classic and chalky, Kimmeridgian soils of Chablis. For generations, the family provided other winemakers with peerless Chardonnay fruit, pulled from impressive holdings in grand cru and premier cru vineyards, planted carefully by family hands. With a passion to craft Chablis wines according to “simple and natural” methods and with a good dose of “observation and patience,” the brothers—who call themselves “perfectionists”—have set a new, higher standard for the character-driven wines of Chablis. As of 2018, the estate was certified organic.

The family maintains some 70 acres of vineyard land in the “heart” of Chablis, the entirety of which began its organic conversion in 2015; the estate was officially certified in 2018. Holdings include some four acres of grand cru vineyards, and around 20 acres of premier cru land; with the rest in general Chablis and Petit Chablis.
The brothers at the beginning of their project built a new cellar space underneath the family home, which originally was a 19th century abbey. This modern cellar allows wine to be moved gently by gravity.
All grapes (at all levels) are harvested by hand, and sorted both in the fields and in the cellar. Fermentation happens on indigenous yeasts, in either temperature-controlled tank or French oak barrel. Wines in general spend some 18 months on fine lees; and are neither fined nor cold stabilized. Only a moderate amount of sulfur is added at bottling. Wines are lightly filtered.