Lilian Duplessis - The New Generation of Chablis!

4/15/15 -

(Lilian pouring a tasting in his cellar. Photo by Sophie Barrett.)

Organic farming and natural winemaking are not the first things to come to mind when thinking of Chablis. Industrial farming is commonplace, with chemical pesticides and mechanical harvesting in the vines and lab yeasts and other winemaking tricks in the cellar. There are, however, a few producers working against the norm, farming with respect for the earth and employing traditional methods in the cellar. Lilian Duplessis not only farms organically (certified as of the 2013 vintage), he continuously succeeds in making some of the most profound, energetic, and simply delicious wines that Chablis can offer.

Chablis is a region well-known for its unique Kimmeridgian soils. Light gray in color (almost white, in fact) and limestone based, the soils formed around 150 million years ago. These soils are rich with Exogyra virgule – tiny oyster fossils from when the region was underwater, which give a sharp, mineral aspect to these famed wines.​

Les Clos parcel at the Duplessis estate. Photo by Guilhaume Gerard.

Lilian is the second generation of vignerons to farm 9 hectares of old vines planted by his father, Gérard, and produces wines from the Village level as well as some of the most prestigious Premier and Grand Cru vineyard sites. His philosophy for working in harmony with the earth translates to how he works in the cellar: native yeast fermentations, long lees aging in stainless steel tank followed by a six-to-eighteen month (depending on the vintage) elévage in neutral oak barrels before being bottled with a minimal addition of sulfur.

These are powerful wines that are built for aging (with a couple of exceptions), and will reward patient cellaring. We look forward to seeing Lilian’s progression in coming years! Tim Gagnon