Why it matters
The producer
Domaine du Chardonnay began with three partners, 11 hectares of vines—nine already producing wine—and 80 hectares of cereals. The estate’s present scale, 34.5 hectares, is the result of choosing Chablis viticulture as its sole work; fruit grown by the domaine is vinified and aged in its own cellars, keeping the bottle tied to one estate rather than bought-in wine.
Arnaud Nahan and Thomas Labille took over after the founding partners retired in 2019. The family link is concrete: Arnaud is the son of founder William Nahan. Their work continues a domaine built around Chardonnay and Chablis’s appellation ladder, from the more immediate Petit Chablis bottlings to wines labelled Premier Cru and Grand Cru.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The domaine is in Chablis, the northern Bourgogne appellation where Chardonnay is the central grape. Its range moves through four formal levels: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru. Those words on a label do more than signal price: they place a bottle within a hierarchy that runs from broad regional expression to more narrowly named vineyard categories.
The estate had already reached Petit Chablis, Chablis and five Chablis Premiers Crus by 1988, when its vineyard doubled. That early spread matters in the glass because the domaine can show Chardonnay at several levels of designation rather than relying on one bottling style.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The current 34.5-hectare holding supplies the fruit, and the domaine states that it vinifies and ages only its own harvest. This does not make every bottle taste the same; it means that the differences between Petit Chablis, Chablis and the more specifically designated wines begin with fruit the estate has grown itself.
The 1993 investment included mechanical presses and a complete vat room. Pressing is the first major cellar step for white wine, shaping the juice that will later become a dry Chardonnay; bringing that work on site gave the domaine control of the harvest from grape reception through ageing. At the Petit Chablis end, tank ageing keeps the focus on fruit and freshness rather than overt oak flavour.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range is built as a climb through Chablis labels. Petit Chablis is the youthful, tank-aged end: a useful place to look for direct fruit, light body and brisk acidity. Chablis sits at the centre, while Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru take the range into more specifically designated territory, where a bottle carries a narrower appellation name.
The domaine also identifies parcel selections including Paradis. A parcel name makes the origin more particular than a general Chablis label, while the wider range lets the same estate show Chardonnay with differing weight, mineral character and length of finish. The historical record of five Premier Crus confirms that these upper levels have been part of the domaine’s work since its early expansion.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Domaine du Chardonnay Chablis 2022. It is the estate’s central Chablis expression, and its published tasting profile supplies the clearest sensory picture: fruit on the nose and palate, lively acidity through the middle, mineral structure and a dry finish. Those elements make a useful contrast with richer, oak-led Chardonnay styles.