Domaine Francois Raveneau

With Dauvissat, Raveneau has been the standard bearer for great Chablis since the 1970s when Francois Raveneau started bottling his own wines. Today the estate is run by his Francois’ grandchildren and the family has not never rested on their laurels, continually looking for even the smallest ways in which to improve their offerings, whether it be vineyard work or the barrels used.

Founded in 1948, when Francois and his wife combined their families’ vineyard holdings, they today owns 8 hectares of vineyards which are spread across three Grand Crus (Blanchot, Les Clos, Valmur) and six Premier Crus (Montee de Tonnerre, Les Vaillons, Butteaux, Chapelot, Montmains, Foret).

Grapes are harvested by hand and fermentation is with indigenous yeast, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrels, and finally maturation in small Chablis Feuillette oak barrels for around 12 months.  Along with Dauvissat, Raveneau pioneered the use of Burgundian winemaking in Chablis, including barrel fermentation and extended lees contact. Generally thought to be ready to drink at around 8-10 years old, these are powerful Chablis yet they never lose their finesse and sense of place.

Production is minuscule. Of the wines which we list, Raveneau has 0.5 hectares in Les Clos, 2.9 hectares in Montee de Tonnerre and 1.5 hectares in Butteaux. With a global cult following, these are fabulous wines that are really worth seeking out.

We offer the following Chablis from Domaine Francois Raveneau:

• Domaine Francois Raveneau Les Clos Grand Cru
• Domaine Francois Raveneau Montee de Tonnerre Grand Cru
• Domaine Francois Raveneau Butteaux Premier Cru