2024 Domaine Moreau-Naudet Forêts 1er Cru Chablis | 94 Points Decanter

🏆 94 Points | The Premier Cru Chablis That Shares a Hillside with Dauvissat and Raveneau!

94 Points – Decanter | 91–93 Points – The Wine Advocate

One of Chablis' Most Fascinating Cult Producers – And a Remarkable 2024 Vintage!

2024 Domaine Moreau-Naudet Chablis Premier Cru Forêts

Chablis, Burgundy, France

NEW RELEASE | RRP $180

What if I told you there was a Premier Cru Chablis vineyard where the vines of three of the region's most fascinating producers grow almost side by side?

Vincent Dauvissat.

Domaine Raveneau.

And Domaine Moreau-Naudet.

Now that's some seriously impressive company!

And here's the extraordinary part.

Moreau-Naudet's Forêts Chardonnay comes from two parcels totalling just under two hectares.

One parcel, with vines approximately 60 years old, sits alongside Vincent Dauvissat's holding.

The other, with vines around 25 years old, lies beside a parcel belonging to Domaine Raveneau.

Think about that for a moment.

Three of Chablis' most compelling names.

Sharing one remarkable Premier Cru hillside.

And now we have the 2024 Domaine Moreau-Naudet Forêts Premier Cru Chablis.

94 POINTS – DECANTER!

91–93 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE!

From a vintage that was extraordinarily difficult.

With tiny yields.

And a wine that combines wonderful fruit concentration with the thrilling acidity and saline minerality that make great Chablis so compelling.

This is exactly the sort of wine I love discovering at Liquid Vibe!

Domaine Moreau-Naudet – One of the Great Modern Stories of Chablis

The Moreau-Naudet story is fascinating.

The domaine was established in 1950, but its modern reputation was built by the remarkable Stéphane Moreau.

Stéphane took over the family estate in 1991.

And he developed a style of Chablis that was quite different from the approach followed by many of his neighbours.

At a time when Chablis was increasingly associated with early picking, stainless steel and relatively rapid bottling, Stéphane pursued a different philosophy.

He wanted wines with greater depth.

Greater texture.

More complexity.

And a stronger expression of their individual vineyards.

He believed that exceptional Chablis needed time.

Time for the grapes to ripen properly.

Time for fermentation to develop naturally.

And time for the wines to mature on their lees.

The results were extraordinary.

Moreau-Naudet gradually developed a devoted following among serious Burgundy enthusiasts.

Sadly, Stéphane died unexpectedly in 2016.

But his wife, Virginie Moreau, took over the domaine.

And she has continued the philosophy that made these wines so special.

Today, Moreau-Naudet remains one of the most exciting small producers in Chablis.

Here's Something Most People Don't Know – Stéphane Moreau Considered Forêts One of Chablis' Greatest Terroirs

This is one of my favourite details about this wine.

Stéphane Moreau regarded the Forêts vineyard as one of the finest terroirs in Chablis.

That's an extraordinary statement when you consider the competition.

Chablis has seven Grand Cru climats and a remarkable collection of Premier Cru vineyards.

Yet Stéphane believed Forêts could produce wines of the very highest order.

And when you look at the neighbouring producers, you begin to understand why.

Vincent Dauvissat.

Domaine Raveneau.

Domaine Moreau-Naudet.

All working within this extraordinary hillside.

Forêts is a historic subdivision of the Montmains Premier Cru on the left bank of the River Serein.

It occupies a southeast-facing slope, with beautiful exposure and classic Chablis limestone soils.

The combination of aspect, geology and mature vines can produce Chardonnay with extraordinary depth and mineral precision.

This is one of those vineyards where the quality of the terroir speaks for itself.

The Vineyard – Two Tiny Parcels, Two Different Vine Ages

Moreau-Naudet farms just under two hectares in Forêts.

And the two parcels are particularly interesting.

Parcel One – Approximately 60-Year-Old Vines

This parcel lies alongside Vincent Dauvissat's holding.

The mature vines contribute depth, structure and concentration.

Parcel Two – Approximately 25-Year-Old Vines

The second parcel lies beside a Raveneau holding.

Its younger vines contribute another dimension to the final blend.

Together, these two parcels create a wine with beautiful complexity.

Fruit concentration.

Mineral structure.

Freshness.

And wonderful length.

But here's what makes the vineyard particularly fascinating.

The soils are based on the famous Kimmeridgian limestone and clay that have helped make Chablis one of the world's great Chardonnay regions.

Kimmeridgian Limestone – The Geological Foundation of Great Chablis

If you love Chablis, you'll have heard about Kimmeridgian limestone.

But here's what makes it so interesting.

These ancient sedimentary formations developed during the Jurassic period, when the region was covered by a shallow sea.

Over millions of years, marine sediments accumulated and eventually formed the limestone and marl that characterise much of Chablis.

Fossilised marine organisms can be found within these formations.

And today, Chardonnay vines grow above this extraordinary geological history.

It's tempting to imagine that the oyster-shell character found in great Chablis comes directly from those ancient marine fossils.

But wine doesn't work quite that simply.

The geological influence is expressed through the way soils affect drainage, root growth, water availability and vine development.

Combined with Chablis' cool climate, these conditions can produce wines with remarkable acidity, texture and structure.

And Forêts is a particularly compelling example.

This is Chardonnay with genuine geological personality.

The 2024 Vintage – One of the Most Difficult Growing Seasons in Recent Chablis History

Here's another reason this release is so interesting.

The 2024 growing season in Chablis was extraordinarily challenging.

Spring was cold and wet.

Frost created problems in April.

And on 1 May, a severe hailstorm swept across large areas of the region.

Then came persistent rainfall.

Difficult flowering.

And intense mildew pressure.

For growers, it was an exhausting season.

Yields were dramatically reduced across many vineyards.

But something remarkable happened.

The surviving fruit ripened slowly.

And the cooler conditions helped preserve beautiful natural acidity.

The best wines have emerged with a distinctly classical Chablis personality.

Less overt richness than some warmer vintages.

More tension.

More citrus energy.

More mineral precision.

And wonderful saline freshness.

For lovers of traditional Chablis, that's an exciting combination.

Winemaking – Patience Is Everything

One of the defining characteristics of Moreau-Naudet is its patient approach to winemaking.

The domaine places enormous importance on hand harvesting, careful fruit selection and natural fermentation.

The wines are given time to develop on their lees.

And oak is used thoughtfully rather than as an obvious flavouring.

For the 2024 Forêts, the wine was fermented and matured using a combination of tank and seasoned oak.

The emphasis was on preserving the vineyard's purity while allowing texture and complexity to develop.

Maturation at the domaine can extend towards two years before bottling.

That's an unusually patient approach.

And it helps explain why these wines can have such remarkable depth.

This isn't Chablis made in a hurry.

It's Chablis made with extraordinary attention to detail.

Tasting Notes – Crisp Pear, Lemon Oil, White Peach and Saline Minerality

The 2024 Moreau-Naudet Forêts is a wonderfully complex Chardonnay.

The aromatics reveal:

• Crisp pear

• Granny Smith apple

• Lemon zest and lemon oil

• White peach

• Fresh citrus blossom

• Subtle freshly baked bread

• Fine herbal complexity

• Delicate spice

• Oyster-shell character

• Chalky mineral notes

The palate is beautifully structured.

There's excellent fruit concentration.

Fresh pear.

Lemon.

A little ripe orchard fruit.

And a wonderful combination of texture and tension.

The wine has an almost silky quality through the middle palate.

But the acidity is thrilling.

Fresh.

Precise.

And beautifully persistent.

Then comes the finish.

Saline. Chalky. Mineral. Wonderfully long.

This is the sort of Chardonnay that becomes more interesting with every sip.

And I suspect it will become even more compelling with time in the cellar.

94 Points – Charles Curtis MW, Decanter

Charles Curtis MW awarded the 2024 Forêts:

94 POINTS – DECANTER!

And his assessment is fascinating.

He considers Forêts one of his favourite wines from Moreau-Naudet.

The 2024 displays an intriguing aromatic profile, with tropical fruit accents, herbs and delicate spice.

But the real beauty lies in the texture.

Silky.

Fine.

With enough richness to give the wine depth, but never excessive weight.

The acidity is beautifully controlled.

And the finish is long and mouth-watering.

94 points for a Premier Cru Chablis from this extraordinary vineyard!

91–93 Points – The Wine Advocate

Kristaps Karklins also reviewed the wine for The Wine Advocate.

91–93 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE!

His assessment highlights crisp pear, Granny Smith apple and lemon oil, together with subtle freshly baked bread complexity.

The palate is generous for the vintage.

But beautifully balanced by lively acidity.

And the finish has the saline character that makes great Chablis so compelling.

Another excellent endorsement.

Why Forêts Is So Special

One of the fascinating things about Burgundy is how dramatically wines can change over very short distances.

Two vineyards separated by only a few metres can produce wines with completely different personalities.

And in Chablis, the relationship between slope, aspect, soil and vine age is particularly important.

Forêts is part of the broader Montmains Premier Cru.

But it has its own distinctive identity.

It can produce wines with greater depth and concentration than many people expect from Chablis.

Yet the best examples retain beautiful mineral tension.

And that's what makes Moreau-Naudet's interpretation so exciting.

The wine has substance.

But also finesse.

Fruit concentration.

But also precision.

And extraordinary length.

For Lovers of Dauvissat and Raveneau

If you love the great traditional producers of Chablis, this wine deserves your attention.

Particularly if you're drawn to wines that combine beautiful fruit concentration with restrained winemaking and extended lees maturation.

Dauvissat.

Raveneau.

Moreau-Naudet.

They are distinct producers, each with their own philosophy.

But they share a belief in the extraordinary potential of Chablis' great vineyards.

And the fact that Moreau-Naudet's Forêts parcels sit alongside holdings belonging to Dauvissat and Raveneau makes this wine particularly fascinating.

Same remarkable hillside. Different interpretations. Extraordinary Chardonnay.

That's one of the great joys of Burgundy.

Cellaring Potential

The 2024 Forêts is a youthful Premier Cru with wonderful structure.

Its combination of concentrated fruit, vibrant acidity and saline mineral precision suggests excellent ageing potential.

Decanter's suggested drinking window is 2028–2045.

That's a serious recommendation.

I'd be tempted to open a bottle relatively young to experience its remarkable freshness.

But I'd certainly put some away.

As it matures, expect the citrus and orchard fruit characters to develop deeper savoury, nutty and mineral complexity.

Suggested drinking window: 2028–2045.

Food Pairings

This is a magnificent food wine.

I'd recommend:

• Freshly shucked oysters

• Scallops with beurre blanc

• Grilled lobster

• King George whiting

• Crab

• Roast chicken with lemon

• Sole meunière

• Comté

• Goat's cheese tart

Personally, I'd love this with freshly grilled scallops and a beautiful beurre blanc.

The wine's mineral freshness and saline character would be absolutely sensational.

Why We Love It at Liquid Vibe

Because this wine has everything that makes great Burgundy so exciting.

A remarkable producer.

A fascinating family story.

A historic Premier Cru vineyard.

Two tiny parcels of Chardonnay.

Old vines sitting beside some of the greatest names in Chablis.

Kimmeridgian limestone.

Traditional winemaking.

Extended maturation.

And outstanding reviews.

Look at what you're getting.

2024 Domaine Moreau-Naudet Chablis Premier Cru Forêts

Chablis, Burgundy, France

Winemaker – Virginie Moreau

Historic Forêts Premier Cru

Two Parcels Totalling Just Under Two Hectares

Vines Approximately 25 and 60 Years Old

Neighbouring Vineyards – Dauvissat and Raveneau

Kimmeridgian Limestone and Clay

Hand-Harvested Fruit

Natural Fermentation

Extended Lees Maturation

94 Points – Decanter

91–93 Points – The Wine Advocate

RRP $180

This is serious Chablis.

A wine with history, pedigree, complexity and extraordinary ageing potential.

And for anyone who loves discovering the great small producers of Burgundy, Moreau-Naudet is a name you absolutely need to know.

2024 DOMAINE MOREAU-NAUDET CHABLIS PREMIER CRU FORÊTS

CHABLIS, BURGUNDY, FRANCE

94 POINTS – DECANTER!

91–93 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE!

RRP $180

OLD VINES BESIDE DAUVISSAT AND RAVENEAU!

CRISP PEAR. LEMON OIL. WHITE PEACH. FINE SPICE. OYSTER SHELL. CHALKY MINERALITY. EXTRAORDINARY LENGTH.

ONE OF CHABLIS' MOST EXCITING PREMIER CRU WINES – FROM ONE OF BURGUNDY'S MOST FASCINATING CULT PRODUCERS!