Sebastien’s Fourchaume vines planted by his uncle in 1981 are located in the lieu-dit, Côte de Fontenay, situated on a perfect south face toward the bottom of the hill and next to the road at about 120-130 meters altitude. This position brings the advantage of easier ripeness in colder years, while also being exposed to winds from both the north and east. The Kimmeridgian rocks here are—for whatever reason—unusually hard by comparison to other areas of Chablis, which we know firsthand because we’ve broken them and many other rocks in Chablis with mallets while on tour with Brenna Quigley, a geologist. The limestone rocks in the topsoil are slightly more rounded, demonstrating that much of it was brought in long ago either by the Serein or the Fontenay Valley. Fourchaume is the most muscular premier cru in the range, and for what it may lack in elegance compared to the other two, it makes up for it in an abundance of classic and complex Chablis characteristics.