Nestled in the beautiful, peaceful southeast corner of Burgundy's northernmost appellation we find the unassuming Domaine des Pérégrins, small producers of exquisite Chablis wines. The village of Poilly-sur-Serein is a more recent addition to the region famed for its elegant Chardonnay wines, but grape growing at the Domaine des Pérégrins is steeped in history. In existence for decades, Domaine des Pérégrins spent the early years selling its Chardonnay grapes to the local cooperatives. During the 19th Century, the property shifted towards dairy farming, until Laurent Moreau took over the estate in 1982 when he planted a host of new vines, but it wasn't until 1996 that Laurent decided it was time for the Moreau family to craft their own Chablis. His passion for the terroir and the potential to produce characterful wines reflective of their own land inspired him to convert the property back to a winery. Today, Domaine des Pérégrins manages 13 hectares of Chardonnay vines, in both Chablis and Petit Chablis appellations.

Eléonore Moreau, daughter of Laurent, took over as winemaker at Domaine des Pérégrins in 2011 and is producing rich, expressive Chablis wines that bowled us over with their quality when we were first introduced to them. More recently she has been joined by her brother, Baptise, in 2021. The 13 hectares at Domaine des Pérégrins are planted on both Portlandian and Kimmeridgian soil, but it is on the latter where the Chardonnay grapes for the estate Chablis and Pérégrinations are picked. An unyielding respect for the natural surroundings has always been at the center of the agricultural practices at Domaine des Pérégrins, they have never used chemical fertilizers on either soil or plant and decided, in 2022, to begin official conversion to organic certification.

In the winery, similar respect for natural processes is employed with both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations allowed to start and finish naturally, without any bacterial additions or temperature controls. Only stainless-steel aging for all of the whites, but a preference of Eléonore is for prolonged refining on the fine lees. Up to 18 months on the lees, even for the classic Chablis gives the Moreau wines impeccable texture and complex aromatic expression. Released with three years of age the wines arrive with beautiful development but will hold for many years to come. At present, both the Chablis and Pérégrinations are stunning examples of wines from this revered terroir and we are proud to import them into the UK.