Chablis, the outlier of the Burgundy sub-regions and one of the most famous names in the world of fine wine
This quaint little town lies roughly halfway between Paris and Beaune and is actually closer to champagne than the rest of Burgundy
It's not only geography that defines this white wine Haven though, as the terroir of Chablis is distinctly different to the rest of Burgundy
Producing some of the most recognizable and sought-after white wines in the world
So attractive was the name of Chablis that in the past it became a victim of plagiarism and it was once said that four times
As much Chablis was sold in a year than was actually made
One of the defining features of the region is its soil which itself became the basis for establishing the Chablis appellation in 1938
Known as Kimmeridgian and named after the town of Kimmeridge in Dorset, England
This soil is only found in a handful of places across England of France
Made up of mainly clay and limestone. The soil is filled with the fossils of oyster shells remnants of the Jurassic period
150 million years ago, when the area lay under a shallow sea
Chablis is not exclusively Kimmeridgian as another soil known as Portlandian and limestone is also found
It is the former, however, that gave the sub region its reputation for producing some of the finest white wines in the world
Chardonnay is the only permitted grape variety in Chablis
The region also possesses its own ranking system the most basic being petit Chablis, followed by Chablis
Which has a sub tier of Premier Cru and then the top-level Chablis Grand Cru
At the top level there are just seven vineyards
Unlike the rest of Burgundy where Grand Cru vineyards have their own appellation, here, they all share the single appellation of Chablis Grand Cru
These vineyards are clustered on a two kilometer wide slope that overlooks the town of Chablis in the river Serein
I've heard the Grand Cru at the center of the slope. Why is that?
Though the Chardonnay grape is grown all around the world and is in fact the second most grown white grape, in Chablis,
It creates elegant wines that have an intense minerality
Whilst globally there has been a tendency towards heavy oak usage and richer stars of chardonnay, in Chablis,
Oak usage has always been carefully managed
This ensures the precision and purity of the wines and that they are not dominated by oak in its flavors
Given Chablis distinct terroir, wine makers here will always strive to capture this in their wines
How would you describe your approach to wine making? Our philosophy, our approach is
the expression of terroir we want to have in our wines the true expression of
The Chablis terroir and I want to be transparent in my wine
The most important is the expression for each terroir. The slopes are facing and
I don't want to make winemaker wine. I want to make terroir wine. It's very important.
Chablis wines a pale straw colour in the glass and have subtle aromas of citrus, orchard fruit and honeycomb
they are intensely mineral with crisp saline notes and a medium body.
A Chablis Grand Cru wine will have a medium straw colour in the glass and will display stone fruits with a ripe and intense nose tending
Towards tropical fruits. The palate shows incredible intensity, tautness and richness that belies its medium body
Oak usage in Grand Cru will tend to be greater and also add to the richness and structure of the wine
Chablis wines are different to any other Chardonnay and it's no surprise that they are revered by drinkers all around the world