Domaine Besson, Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir, Burgundy, France, 2021

Producer Profile

Situated in the heart of Chablis, Domaine Besson is the proud possessor of an exceptional wine-producing heritage, seeking to express and transmit through its wines the purity and sensitivity of this unique terroir.

The estate is an independent, family-owned and run domaine spanning four generations. Today, their 21ha comprises holdings in Petit Chablis, Chablis and selected Premiers/Grands Crus. Owner Alain Besson has recently handed more control to his daughter Camille, who looks after the winemaking and marketing, and son Adrien, who is responsible for the vineyard work. Practising lutte raisonnée in the vineyards and manual harvesting for the Grands Crus, the family’s thoughtful, sensitive winemaking gives rise to a range of wines that offer a pure expression of fruit combined with fine and elegant styling.

Viticulture

The Vaudésir plot spans approximately 1.43 ha of Kimmeridgian limestone–clay soil with fossilised oyster shells, on southwest-southeast exposures. Domaine Besson manages the vines sustainably, using Guyot pruning and mechanical ploughing, while harvesting is done entirely by hand. This focused approach is aimed at preserving freshness, purity, and expression of terroir.

Winemaking

Grapes are slowly and gently whole-cluster pressed at low pressure. Fermentation is mostly in temperature-controlled stainless steel, with around 8% fermented in older oak barrels, followed by 18 months ageing on fine lees. No new oak is used—preserving the wine’s clarity and accentuating its mineral and floral character.

Tasting Note

Pale yellow with soft golden glimmers. The nose is beautifully composed—delicate white flowers (acacia, lime blossom) combine with buttery nuances and powerful minerality, framed by oyster-shell, wet-stone, and subtle spice tones. On the palate, it is supple and refined, striking a balance between round orchard and citrus fruit and a taut, steely backbone. The mid-palate shows a lovely creamy texture, but the finish remains long, saline, and precise.

Food Matching

Vaudésir excels with seafood: oysters, crab, lobster, scallops, and rich fish like salmon or tuna.