William Fèvre

The Fèvre family has been in Chablis for over 250 years, but it was William Fèvre who established the Domaine de la Maladière estate (later renamed William Fèvre) in 1959 and became one of the leaders of the region’s renaissance in the wake of phylloxera and economic struggles. He started with just seven hectares, but rapidly bought parcels of Chablis’s top Premiers and Grands Crus – then woefully cheap given the wines’ unfashionability.

Today the estate is one of Chablis’s most respected names, with 78 hectares – including 15.8 hectares of Premier Cru and 15.2 hectares of Grand Cru vines, with plots in most of the region’s Grand Cru sites.

William Fèvre retired in 1998 and the property was bought by the Henriot group, with Didier Séguier (previously of Bouchard) installed as Director – who pushed the reputation of this domaine even further. While Fèvre had been known for overt use of new oak (unusual for Chablis), Séguier brought the wines more in line with the classical approach of the region, using only old oak.

The vineyards have long been farmed organically (with official certification underway) and the Premier and Grand Cru sites farmed biodynamically since 2009). The focus is on low yields to produce high-quality fruit. Everything is hand-picked and the winemaking immaculate, with the village Chablis largely in stainless steel with 10% old oak for 8-10 months. The Premier Cru wines spend 10-13 months in around 50% old oak and the Grand Cru wines stay in barrel (up to 100% old oak) for 12-15 months. 

The holdings include parcels in the Grands Crus of Bougros, Les Clos, Valmur, Les Preuses and Vaudésir. Their Premier Cru plots include Beauroy, Fourchaume, Les Lys, Mont de Milieu, Montée de Tonnerre, Montmains, Vaillons, Vaulorent and Vosgros. 

William Fèvre passed away in 2019. In 2022, the Henriot group was purchased by Artémis Domaines (owner of Ch. Latour), bringing the property briefly under their umbrella before being acquired in 2024 by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (owners of Ch. Lafite Rothschild).