Domaine Roland Lavantureux
With a sharp eye, natural instinct, and solid Burgundian pragmatism, Roland Lavantureux made a name for himself crafting no-nonsense Chablis that has come to be one of the most reliable of the old reliables here at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. Upon his completion of wine school in Beaune, Roland founded the domaine in 1978 in the town of Lignorelles, about four miles northwest of Chablis. Today, his two sons have taken over the Domaine: Arnaud is in charge of the vineyards and cellar, while David takes the lead in marketing and sales. In addition to making a stunning Chablis, the Lavantureux family also bottles a mouth-watering Petit Chablis, which, depending on the vintage, can easily rival their more highly pedigreed bottling—only proving the unwavering consistency of the Lavantureux family that has kept our relationship with them so strong for over thirty-five years.
The region is best known for its Kimmeridgian soils, a highly prized terroir of limestone and clay infused with tiny, fossilized oysters. The intensely chalky sea-shell minerality lends deep complexity to whites, making this region an ideal home for the Chardonnay grape. The Portlandian soils in the extension of the Chablis appellation, known as Petit Chablis, may not enjoy the same reputation as the Kimmeridgian, yet they imbue the wines with a crisp, lively freshness and zesty, citrusy aromas that speak to the deep mineral component of northern Burgundy. There is no accounting for these imaginary appellation boundaries, because the pedigree of the wines is palpable. As Roland once told Kermit, “I don’t know why the INAO named some vines ‘Chablis’ and others ‘Petit.’ When I stand in the middle of my vineyard, the row to my left is Chablis, to the right it is Petit Chablis, but you can’t see any difference.”
Since joining the family operation, the young Arnaud and David have shown remarkable ambition and precision in their work ethic: they have increased the family holdings to twenty-one hectares, adding single-vineyard cuvées while constantly striving for more complexity and layered texture in the mineral-driven beauties they produce. The Lavantureux wines display show-stopping nerve, to be enjoyed as easily before dinner as they are with a piece of grilled fish or oysters-on-the-half-shell. These wines drink as honestly as the people who make them; they are staff favorites year after year.

With a sharp eye, natural instinct, and solid Burgundian pragmatism, Roland Lavantureux made a name for himself crafting no-nonsense Chablis that has come to be one of the most reliable of the old reliables here at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. Upon his completion of wine school in Beaune, Roland founded the domaine in 1978 in the town of Lignorelles, about four miles northwest of Chablis. Today, his two sons have taken over the Domaine: Arnaud is in charge of the vineyards and cellar, while David takes the lead in marketing and sales. In addition to making a stunning Chablis, the Lavantureux family also bottles a mouth-watering Petit Chablis, which, depending on the vintage, can easily rival their more highly pedigreed bottling—only proving the unwavering consistency of the Lavantureux family that has kept our relationship with them so strong for over thirty-five years.
The region is best known for its Kimmeridgian soils, a highly prized terroir of limestone and clay infused with tiny, fossilized oysters. The intensely chalky sea-shell minerality lends deep complexity to whites, making this region an ideal home for the Chardonnay grape. The Portlandian soils in the extension of the Chablis appellation, known as Petit Chablis, may not enjoy the same reputation as the Kimmeridgian, yet they imbue the wines with a crisp, lively freshness and zesty, citrusy aromas that speak to the deep mineral component of northern Burgundy. There is no accounting for these imaginary appellation boundaries, because the pedigree of the wines is palpable. As Roland once told Kermit, “I don’t know why the INAO named some vines ‘Chablis’ and others ‘Petit.’ When I stand in the middle of my vineyard, the row to my left is Chablis, to the right it is Petit Chablis, but you can’t see any difference.”
Since joining the family operation, the young Arnaud and David have shown remarkable ambition and precision in their work ethic: they have increased the family holdings to twenty-one hectares, adding single-vineyard cuvées while constantly striving for more complexity and layered texture in the mineral-driven beauties they produce. The Lavantureux wines display show-stopping nerve, to be enjoyed as easily before dinner as they are with a piece of grilled fish or oysters-on-the-half-shell. These wines drink as honestly as the people who make them; they are staff favorites year after year.
Technical Information
Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Petit Chablis |
Chardonnay | 28 years average | Clay, Limestone (Portlandian) | 4.5 ha |
Chablis |
Chardonnay | 30 years average | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | 14.5 ha |
Chablis “Vieilles Vignes” |
Chardonnay | 60 years average | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | 0.9 ha |
Chablis ''Vauprin" |
Chardonnay | 25-45 years | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | 3 ha |
Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume |
Chardonnay | 25 years average | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | 1.0 ha |
Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey |
Chardonnay | 35 years | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | .95 ha |
Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy |
Chardonnay | 30 years average | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | 1 ha |
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros |
Chardonnay | 30 years | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | N/A |
Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses |
Chardonnay | 25 years | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | N/A |
Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir |
Chardonnay | 40 years average | Clay, Limestone (Kimmeridgian) | 2.6 ha |
Bourgogne Epineuil “Les Fauconniers” |
Pinot Noir | Planted from 1969-1978 | Clay, limestone | 3.5 ha |
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres |
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel
• The wine is aged on the lees for 5-10 months, depending on the vintage
Chablis:
• Fermented in stainless steel
• 70% of wine aged in stainless steel, 30% aged in 3 to 6 year old barrels
Chablis “Vieilles Vignes”:
• Fermented in stainless steel
• 60% aged in 3 to 5 year old barrels and 40% in stainless steel
Chablis “Vauprin”:
• “Vauprin” is a vineyard located in the village of Lignorelles and is known for being one of the highest altitude parcels in Chablis
• Fermented in stainless steel
• 50% aged in 228L, 2 - 5 year old barrels, 50% stainless steel
Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume:
• Fermented in stainless steel
• 40% of the wine is aged in barrels that are 3 to 6 years old, no new oak is used
Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey:
• Fermented in stainless steel
• 60% of the wine is aged in barrels that are 2 to 4 years old for 8 months, 40% aged in stainless steel
Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy:
• Primary and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel
• Aged 50% in stainless steel, 50% in barrels (20% new, 80% 2-5 years old)
• Southern exposure
Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses:
• Fermented in barrel
• Aged 12 months in barrel, 50% new
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros:
• Fermented in barrel
• Aged 12 months in barrel, 75% new
Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir:
• Mostly fermented in barrels and a small part in stainless steel
• 85% of wine is aged in barrels that are 3 to 5 years old and 15% of the wine is aged in new oak
Bourgogne Epineuil “Les Fauconniers”
• Vines planted by David and Arnaud Lavantureux’s grandfather
• 100% destemmed
• Whole-berry fermentation in stainless steel lasts one month and a half
• Aged for one year in 75% barrels and 25% stainless steel
• Sulfur added only at bottling
General Information
- Country
- France
- Region
- Burgundy
- Appellation(s)
- Petit Chablis, Chablis
- Producer
- Arnaud and David Lavantureux
- Founded
- 1978
- Annual Production
- 5,800 cases
- Farming
- Organic (practicing)