So I will be visiting Chablis mid July and currently looking to do some tastings there.
Any recommendations for some domaines that are fairly priced but of good quality? Unfortunately the likes of Dauvissat, Fevre etc. are a bit out of my budget…
Thanks in advance!
I’ve added a good quantity of Patrick Piuze to my cellar in the past year. Super price and quality.
“Fairly Priced” isnt really a range, as most wines are below the Dauvissat/Fevre price point. I was in Chablis back in February and we did 4 tastings:
In brief - LM was the least “informative” - just someone standing behind a desk, pointing at 5 bottles, poured, let us taste, and when the glasses were empty they poured the next one.
Domaine LaRoche has a new store in the middle of the town, so its a nice boutique setting. The host was informative, told us about some of the climate/soils, showed us the maps of the various Cru and where the wines we were tasting were coming from, etc. Pricing out of the boutique was about 30% or so less than US Pricing.
Moreau was the most fun as the father/namesake Christian did our tasting for just me and my wife. A very gregarious man, full of stories and jokes. He told us about how his family split out some parcels for him and his brothers, his favorite areas of the vineyards, his world travels, his skiing, etc. Fabien, his son and current wine maker, did stop in to say hello. The prices he gave me to buy bottles from the winery were way below US pricing, almost 50%.
Fevre - it was their first day open after the long holiday break, and they only opened in that afternoon about 1 hour before I got there. the store manager was very nice, obviously apologetic because the store wasn’t really set up, but since we were the first to come by and taste, he was willing to open up any bottles for us, so we had a very nice GC line up. Pricing was a bit cheaper than the US, not by a lot, but they gave us a VAT receipt to get the tax back at the airport, something the other wineries didn’t offer us (and this was our last stop of the day so we weren’t as informed prior)
We stayed at the Hostellerie des Clos - walkable to the main area of town. Comfortable yet non descript rooms but the staff was very nice, worked hard to get us checked in early, and the wine list at the restaurant is amazing (and the food was really good too).
It rained 90% of the day we were there, so we didn’t walk any of the vineyards, just hopped from tasting room to tasting room.
I imported Schaller when they were just starting. At the time they did not have any 1er crus but now they have two. Nice people making very solid wines.
How did that work? Did you have to prove that you were still in possession of the wines at the time of getting the tax back? Or?
The store manager at WF gave me a printed form and attached our purchase receipt to it; to get that form they needed my passport and some information from me. At the airport there were these VAT stations with terminals to self scan, so we went there, QR or barcode or whatever on the paper got scanned, and that was it. this was prior to dropping our bags. I was told 99% of the time they never ask to see anything; and they didn’t. There was another set of terminals but those were if you made your purchase in cash and wanted cash back, if you used a credit card for your purchase you could use the self check out terminals in the airport.
I got the VAT back as a “refund” to my credit card that I used to make the purchase within about a week after I got back to the United States.
When landing in the US I had no issues with customs either. I brought back 12 bottles of wine total, so all fit into 1 suitcase.
I suggest you check out La Chablisienne. Arguably, one of the two best co-ops in the EU along with Produttori de Barbaresco. The wines from village to grand cru are excellent across the board. I have around 10 cases of Chablis in my cellar and am quite happy that their wines are part of it.
I second the suggestion of La Chablisienne. I would also add Domaine Servin, both of which are an easy walk from anywhere in town.
My wife and visited in 2018, I believe, and absolutely loved our time there. Make sure you walk the Grand Cru vineyards, assuming the weather cooperates. We brought up a picnic lunch and found a couple of benches at the top of Les Clos, which has great views of the town. Enjoy your trip!
Fevre is also a bit out of my budget, but I went there anyway, in November 2019. The experience was excellent! When we walked in, you could tell the tasting room guy looked a bit crestfallen at the prospect of dealing with more off-season idiot Americans. As soon as we started asking Berserker-type questions, he lit up and let us taste every bottle that was in the fridge. We tried 8 or 9 wines for about 10 euros a person. I believe the tasting fee has gone up a bit, but it’s well worth it. Do a tiny bit of homework on the different Crüs, ask some good questions, and you’ll be rewarded.
I’d also suggest Jean-Marc Brocard, a five minute walk from Fevre. What I liked about Brocard is the quality between entry-level and 1er Crü was more noticeable. Not that the entry level bottling was terrible, it’s just the 1er Crü was so much better.
Don’t forget to buy a single gougère to graze on as you walk the town. They are huge! The lady at the bakery said tiny ones are for tourists. 
@Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r may have other suggestions and contacts.
I believe his name is (was?) Alain - the longtime tasting room manager. We had a similar experience and it was one of my favorite tasting visits ever. Once he heard that Fevre is one of my favorite producers (true), he set up a bunch of mini verticals and horizontals to help us understand the impact of site and vintage on Fevre’s wines. Really cool experience, and really informative.
Christian Moreau and Moreau-Naudet.
Is Fevre expensive now? I thought it was the definition of Chablis’ affordability. GCs under $100.
Try explaining this to my wife.
Was just there a few weeks ago. Louis Michel is great. Probably need to set it up in advance.
It seems that most names were given already. My list woul probably be Louis Michel, Picq, Droin, Samuel Billaud and Domaine d’Henri. But I think some of those are on the more expensive side.
For more accessible options maybe Servin, La Chablisienne, Vocoret, Testut or even Gueguen.
Another recco for Chablisienne.
Also Louis Michel and Vocoret.
I would add Long-Depaquit. In general, I am not a fan of Bichot or their properties, but I find this Domaine that they own impeccable.
I am retired from importing, but for almost 40 years represented Domaine Duplessis. I consider them one of the ten top producers for quality and their prices are barely above average. Not a lot of wine available, however. I think you will need to make an appointment.
I’m arguing. I love both of these Coops, but at a minimum put Terlano on at least the same level, if not better. Also, Cave Mailly belongs in the conversation.