J. Moreau & Fils

In 1814 Jean-Joseph Moreau, a young cooper, marries a local winemaker’s daughter and inherits the oldest wine House of Chablis. Driven by passion for the vine and traditional values, he runs the business incredibly well and becomes very quickly one of the most important producers of wine in Chablis. He was a pioneer in the region and his success kept on rising. 

Over the years, J. Moreau & Fils established on the international market and has become a prestigious House, successful worldwide. 
Since 1814, J. Moreau & Fils has been rising to the challenge of the Chablis terroir to bring out the very best of its single grape varietal, Chardonnay, in pursuit of its signature white wines that are complex, elegant, and precisely balanced.

Crossed by the Serein, the vineyard of Chablis was truly flourishing in the 12th century thanks to the Cistercian monks who proved their passion and skills in the wine area. And it is both a glorious and unfortunate destiny that the vineyard has experienced since that time.

Totally destroyed by the phylloxera in 1893, the vineyard was completely recovered and nowadays stands as a nature’s masterpiece. The specific soil of the Chablis vineyard, inherited from the presence of the sea in the Mesozoic era, gives the wine a iodine hint and a particular mineralty that seduce the whole world. 

The interpretation of Chardonnay through the soil and climate of Chablis turn this variety into a unique wine around the world. Mont de Milieu, Montmains, Fourchaume, Vaucoupins... These premier crus are celebrated for their quality and their unique personalities despite being geographically very close. For J. Moreau & Fils, the terroir of Chablis is a challenge for winemaking. Indeed, for house winemaker Lucie Depuydt, it’s all about expressing the excellence of this challenging land. The morphology of this steeply contoured land along with soil that is sometimes very shallow, lying on hard marls and limestone, means they are not suited to vine cultivation. However...

Some 250 million years ago, during the secondary era, a huge geological shift took place. Continental shifts completely changed the lie of the land. The Parisian basin, including Chablis, was covered by the sea, and for 100 million years, it laid down limestone sediments, shellfish and other mollusks. During the relatively short Kimmeridgian* period, which lasted around five million years, some of these species fossilized, notably Exogyra virgula, which established reefs which formed a very special geological strata.

At the end of the Jurassic period, 200 to 145 million years ago, the sea disappeared. The center of the huge Parisian basin collapsed under the weight of successive geological layers, giving rise to “cuestas”, reliefs that resemble the edges of a basin, formed by the older layers. Chablis is located on one of these cuestas upon which lies the famous subsoil known as Kimmeridgian.

A few million years later, the land has proved a unique location where the Chardonnay vine can flourish, creating different nuances of minerality from smoky to fruity to floral, depending on the appellation.

Pure and authentic wines characterised by an original blend: subtle minerality and intense fruitiness, structure and aromatic complexity, and a constant hint of smoke, proof of a preserved terroir. 

The House handles its wines carefully and with precaution, simplicity and efficiency. All of this gives the wines a unique expression that is illustrated by an intense citrus nose, with fresh hazelnuts, underscored by a subtle minerality with a characteristic smoky edge. In the mouth, they are fresh, dense and very aromatic, with notes of blossom, nuts and sometimes, for certain crus, a finish of sweet spices and confectioner’s custard. 
 

The style asserts itself through wines that are elegant yet intense, fruity yet mineral, sweet yet fresh, and perfect for enjoying young yet delicious after a few years – a paradox and a challenge risen to by J. Moreau & Fils.

Each “cuvee” is the radiance of its terroir of origin and our range of wines is an invitation to discover the incredible mozaic of Chablis and many other terroirs. 

For quality reasons, Chardonnay is the varietal that was selected for replanting Chablis post phylloxera, despite its susceptibility to diseases caused by humidity. Paradoxically, it tends to produce the best grapes in extreme conditions.

The climate of Chablis is most similar to that of Champagne rather than that of the rest of Burgundy, with harsh winters, frosty springs, hot summers and clement weather in the fall. The rain can sometimes pose a problem during certain key phases in the growth cycle of the vines, increasing the risk of fungal diseases caused by the humidity, which are difficult to manage. The winemaker must take all these things into account when considering the optimum plots for the vintage to obtain the best grapes when the harvest comes around.

Spring frosts are also very frequent in the Chablis vineyard, this is why the producers had to adopt different techniques to prevent freezing – the use of oil burners, water spaying. These techniques aim at preventing the buds from freezing, which could compromise the whole crop.