I’ve loved the wines of Alice and Olivier De Moor since the first time I tried them. They have always seemed to me the real deal. They are creamy and autumn-evoking but also have a certain bright energy about them. Olivier believes they hark back to a previous era of Chablis, when the region's wines had a buttery, nutty character “similar to any Burgundy Chardonnay from low yields and reasonable ripeness”.
The De Moors are based in Courgis, a sleepy village nestled among the vine-clad hills of the Serein Valley. They have been making wine here since 1994 in a cellar that once belonged to Olivier’s grandfather (now updated).
Olivier and Alice back in the day - '94 or '95
They cultivate 10ha of vineyards spread between Chablis, Chitry and St Bris, along with Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey and Mont de Milieu. They also have a négociant gig, Vendangeur Masqué, through which they make Bourgogne and Chablis appellation wines, sometimes sourcing grapes from further afield from friendly connections like Pfifferling, Gramenon, Texier and L’Anglore.
Alice and Olivier have been making wine with spontaneous ferments – contrary to most wineries in Chablis – since 1997. Since 2000 they have practised extended élevages to improve the long-term stability of the wines, typically 12 to 18 months for the standard wines and up to two years for their top-level La Rosette and the 1ers Crus.
Olivier in Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey
They also are careful not to manipulate the must too much during vinification, to avoid oxidation; racking is done by gravity where possible and the wines receive no bâtonnage, ageing on fine lees, untouched, until they are ready to bottle. Sulphur is kept to a minimum: none during vinification and a maximum of 25-30mg/l total.
To me, they represent the authentic Chablis. I'll never forget my first trip to the region a few years ago, when I ordered a few random wines from a restaurant wine list in the village. It was all rubbish – over-sulphured, thin, characterless chardonnay. This is region that has long-since lost its way in the name of producing identikit wines for the mass market. To me, Alice and Olivier are a beacon of light in this sea of industrial dross.
Alice doing a little pigéage in an amphora
Last summer, I saw that they were advertising for a full-time assistant winemaker and was ready to drop everything to go work for them. It didn't happen at that time, but they invited me to contact them again just before harvest, which I eagerly did. They took me on.
To work with them was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition to work at a traditional Burgundy domaine, so I was already ahead, but for them to invite me to make a TFWATH wine while I was there, that was perhaps the highlight of my modest winemaking career.
Aligoté from the De Moors' 2.5ha parcel in Chitry
The wine we made is a skin-fermented aligoté using domaine grapes from Chitry. This wine will be called TFWATH Aligoté 'Cuvée Maman'. It's a dedication to my mum, who I lost just before I started this nomadic winemaking lark in 2018. This one seems most appropriate for the dedication.
What started out as a 400-litre Burgundy barrel's worth of this wine has become half a barrel owing to low yields at the domaine in 2025, for which Alice and Olivier have had to make adjustments (I'm not complaining: to have made any wine at all with them is a gift).
I'm very proud of this wine and I hope you have the chance to try it.
Destemming my aligoté in September 2025
If you are interested in learning more about De Moor, you can read this article that I wrote about them for the US drinks magazine SevenFifty Daily.