The Undeniable Chardonnay: It’s impossible to talk about white wine styles and miss Chablis, termed the pure expression of soil, it is a refreshing Chardonnay with flinty minerality. So, lets dive in and explore the region.
Situated in the northernmost part of Burgundy, it lies between the regions of Burgundy and Champagne and has been nicknamed The Golden Gate, for being the entry of Burgundy from Champagne or Paris.
Even though it is a part of burgundy, it is physically separated from the rest of Burgundy. Chablis almost exists by itself and has remained independent from the rest of Burgundy.
Being the northmost, Chablis is the coolest wine-growing region in Burgundy. This makes sudden temperature drops in the spring a great hazard as it creates late frost which can kill a vintage.
The Soil of Chablis
Chablis was at the bottom of the ocean in the Jurassic period. That’s why this soil contains mostly limestone, clay, and sea fossils, which gives the wine its classic expression. The two most prominent soil types of Chablis are:
Portlandian Soil: a limestone soil rich in clay and fossils. It’s the upper layer of the Kimmeridgian soil.
Kimmeridgian Soil: The wines from this soil attain that unmistakable mineral and flinty note. The main difference from the Portlandian soil is oysters’ shells. Kimmeridgian soil is also rich in oyster’s shell in the soil, which gives that projecting mineral and flinty notes of Chablis.
Kimmeridgian Soil of Chablis
Wine Styles
In general, Chablis is best known for its serious, bone-dry, mineral Chardonnays. The differences may still be seen, varying from one winemaker to another.
A classic Chablis:
Appearance: wine displays an almost pale, straw colour with green tints.
Aromas: a beautiful bouquet of apples, pears, greens like asparagus, and white flowers with lot of minerality.
Tasting: the aromas reflect on the palate with prominent minerality and a stark acidity.
Being bone dry, high acid and power-packed minerals; it is an assault on the palate.
There are producers using techniques like the use of steel tanks in place of oak vats, completely cutting down the oaky rich notes and making a straight forward international style of refreshing and mineral Chablis.
A few are also making the style of Chablis with higher levels of oak. These winemakers encourage malolactic fermentation, where malic acid converts to lactic acid and creates a creamier smooth acidity instead of the green and razor-sharp acidity associated with malic acid.
The Classification of Chablis
Chablis is an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) in the Burgundy region. AOC is a term to define products of distinct regional origin. Within the region, there are 7 Grand Cru vineyards (the Chablis Grand Cru AOC) and 17 Premier Cru vineyards (the Chablis Premier Cru AOC) and additionally, there is Petit Chablis AOC, which defines a region much larger than the proper Chablis.
Petit Chablis AOC
Designed in 1944, this Appellation accounts for 17% of the volume produced in Chablis. The word “petit” speaks to the style of the wine and not the size of the region. Even within the area of Chablis proper, Petit Chablis wines are typically made from vineyards with lower-quality terroir and produce lower-quality wines. Even though “petit” means “small”, this area is much larger than the Chablis AOC, nearly 5 times bigger in size.
The word “petit” speaks to the stature of the wine and not the size of the region. Vineyards are mostly present at an elevation of 230-280m on Portlandian soil and can’t benefit from great sun exposure.
The vineyards of Petit Chablis are usually the first to harvest in each season. They are not very developed and complex as the grapes don’t spend enough time in the vines as it happens on the Premier and Grand Cru sites.
Simple and straightforward wines that are fresh and citrusy driven, rarely see any oak at all. High acid and very clean drinking.
Chablis AOC
The village-level classification of Chablis accounts for 66% of wines from the region. The wines of the Chablis AOC are a good expression of Chardonnay. They are of a bit higher quality and price than Petit Chablis and are characterized by minimal oak use. If any oak barrels are used at all, they are always larger and older barrels to avoid imparting too much of the oak to the wine. These wines see an aging of somewhere between 1-5 years.
The green lime colour will turn into a yellow lemon when it comes to wines of Chablis Appellation. The soil is rich in limestone and, importantly, sea fossils are still present here. You will recognize the aroma of green apple, lemon rind, chalk and hay in these wines, which is one of the true hallmarks of Chablis.
Chablis Premier Cru AOC
These are the 17 Premier Cru Vineyards scattered throughout the Chablis AOC an account for 16% of wines from the region. Overtime these vineyards have proven to produce high quality wines that Chablis AOC.
These vineyards are planted on Kimmeridgian limestone slopes. As a result, these wines are slightly more complex and multidimensional.
Their label can carry the vineyard name, if 100% of the grapes are from that vineyard, or just the term Premier Cru, if they are blended with grapes from other Premier Cru vineyards. These vineyards mature slower than Chablis AOC. This additional time increases the complexity and adds a richer texture to the wine.
The Premier Cru Vineyards are (best highlighted in bold, second best in italics)
Beauroy, Berdiot, Chaume de Talvat, Côte de Jouan, Les Beauregards, Côte de Léchet , Côte de Vaubarousse, Fourchaume, Les Fourneaux, Montée de Tonnerre, Montmains, Mont de Milieu, Vaillons, Vaucoupin, Vaudevey, Vauligneau, Vosgros.
Chablis Grand Cru AOC
Chablis Grand Cru.
Image Credit: winejokers.com
The crème dela crème of Chablis are the seven Grand Cru vineyards located right next to each other in the very center of the region, producing the top 1% of the wines. In fact, it is one adjoining block of land.
These seven vineyards cover 100ha within themselves. These vineyards are planted on Kimmeridgian soil at an altitude of 150-200m on the famous “thermal-belt”. This means that the vineyards receive ideal sun-exposure in the day and are facing the “Le Sirene River” that reflects the sunlight directly to the vineyards. Ensuring a gradual and even ripening throughout the season. These vineyards are to be harvested last in the region of Chablis.
To label the wine as Grand Cru, it’s not allowed to blend grapes from different vineyards. These wines are of premium quality; evolving in your glass, the perfect reflection of terroir and lingers for a long time.
Bougros, Les Preuses, Vaudésir, Grenouilles, Valmur, Blanchot and Les Clos (the largest Grand Cru),
The Eighth Grand Cru !!
Image credit: https://www.albert-bichot.com
La Moutonne
A small parcel of land between Les Preuses and Vaudésir, La Moutonne, is not an official Grand Cru, but it is among the best wines produced in the region. It is solely owned by Louis Long-Depaquit and does sport Grand Cru on their label, which was solely allowed with regards to the high quality of the wine.
Conclusion
The real joy of Chablis is that the wine is a real reflection of terroir, which makes it an undeniable style of Chardonnay. It is a style of Chardonnay that doesn’t has any parallel comparison to itself.
Give it a shot if you have not. enjoy the different styles and feel the differences.
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