Photo by CocktailSteward from Wikimedia Commons
A much-celebrated wine producing region in the north of Burgundy, France, Chablis is renowned for its excellent white wine, made from the Chardonnay grape.
Although made from the same grape varietal as that most popular of white wines – Chardonnay itself – Chablis has a distinctly different and some would say more refined flavour. This unique taste stems in part from the chalky terrain of the region, whose rocky and rugged landscape does not immediately suggest itself as the ideal spot for viticulture.
But despite the unlikely setting, Chablis wine has been successfully cultivated in the region for centuries and Chablis has become one of the best-loved white wines in the world.
Viticulture is thought to have arrived in Chablis with the Romans (although some believe the region´s wine production can be traced right back to the monasteries of the Dark Ages) and there are records of Chablis white wine being exported to England as early as the 1500s. Certainly, Chablis was being celebrated as one of France´s premier wine production regions by the 1400s, although war and the devastating phylloxera plague that wiped out vineyards across Europe took its toll on the region in later years. Recovery from the plague was slow but steady and the last century has seen an explosion in the popularity of Chablis wines.
There are four distinct appellations, or ´types´ of Chablis produced in the region, grouped according to the type of land on which the grapes are grown and harvested. The most celebrated of the types of Chablis white wine is Chablis Grand Cru, an exclusive, expensive wine made from just seven vineyards that line the Serein River´s beautiful north bank. These much-revered vineyards are found at Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur, Blanchots, Blougrots, Vaudesir and Les Clots.
The second most revered of the Chablis wines is Chablis Premier Cru; made from grapes harvested on the town´s west and south-facing hills. There are some 40 Premier Cru varietals, with those made from the grapes of small vineyards generally being grouped together with the wines of nearby, larger vineyards. An example of this is that wine from the small Chapelot vineyard would be, like Cote de Brechain and Pied dÁlou, grouped under the umbrella name of Monte de Tonnerre.
Next in the Chablis white wine hierarchy comes the simply-named Chablis, which is made from grapes grown on the north and east-facing hills of the region. Chablis´ little sister wine, Petit Chablis, is cultivated in the vineyards of the region´s flatlands.
Chablis Grand Cru is without a doubt one of the world´s great white wines and its superior taste is a result of the seven vineyards´ location, dotted as they are around hillsides either side of the Serein River, receiving the ideal amount of sunlight and warmth to create some truly memorable white wines. Grand Cru wines typically benefit greatly from many years of aging and indeed many are virtually undrinkable when young as a result of the combination of northern location and flinty terrain that gives the wines a unique flavour profile and a bitterness that can be overwhelming and even unpleasant when not given sufficient time to develop. The landscape is characterised by a clay and chalk composition known as Kimmeridgian, dotted with the fossils of tiny oysters.
Whether you´re splashing out on Chablis Grand Cru or just enjoying a glass of common or garden Chablis with a meal, some key flavours common to most wines from the region are pink grapefruit, apple and even pineapple, although the fruit flavours of Chablis white wines are markedly less pronounced than others of the Burgundy region.
More so than many wines, choosing the right vintage is critical for white wine lovers who want to enjoy Chablis at its finest. The region can become excessively hot during summertime, which can have an adverse affect on crops, but the greater threat to Chablis vineyards are the sometimes harsh spring frosts that can follow the long, cold, winters that effect the Chablis region of France.
These spring frosts are a serious concern for wine producers in Chablis, as they tend to strike during the most critical period during the life of the Chablis vine – just as the buds are beginning to break through. If these frosts hit particularly hard from March to May, that year´s crop can be all but wiped out. When the year of 1957 saw a mere 132 bottles of Chablis wine produced, winemakers began to look for technological solutions to protect their wines and their livelihoods and the use of ´smudge pots´, which provide constant heat to the vines, became common practice. Less dramatic, overly cool or rainy years can produce Chablis wines that lack any distinction or depth of flavour.
