Wines from Chablis

Uncovering the Chablis Wine Region

The Chablis, which is the northernmost district of the world-famous Burgundy wine region, can be called as a historic winemaking district of France.

This region, which is popularly known as the Golden Gate of Burgundy, would take just a two-hour drive from Paris.

Wines from Chablis - a wine region in Burgundy, France

This important wine district of Burgundy is found to be fully covered with a single grape variety Chardonnay, which is a white grape.

Let’s uncover the wines from this region whose winemaking history can be dated to the twelfth century – the period of the Romans …

Where exactly is Chablis in Burgundy?

As mentioned above, this is located in the northern part of Burgundy with its vineyards being located at a significant distance from the Burgundy’s important winemaking regions like:

Nuits-Saint-Georges
Beaune
Chalon-sur-Saone
Macon

William Fèvre, Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons
€27.81 Find merchant

In fact, this region is found to be closer to the vineyards of the Loire and southern Champagne wine regions.

We can find the best vineyards of Chablis having located on a small slope (facing southwest) that is located to the north of the tiny town of Chablis.

Climate and Geography of Chablis

We could find that the Chablis wine district has the climatic conditions, as well as the soils, quite different from the other parts of Burgundy.

This part of Burgundy is cooler and this climate is contributing to the style of wines that are produced in Chablis.

Laroche – Petit Chablis 2014 6x 75cl Bottles
€106.08 Find merchant

The vineyards here are susceptible to spring frosts that could lead to a dramatic variation in vintages both in quality and quantity.

The soils of this region are giving the wines the mineral qualities as they are found to have plenty of limestone and chalky clay contents.

An important division of this region is found lying between Kimmeridgian and Portlandian soils.

The former one is highly regarded for lots of mineral-rich clay along with the marine fossils which are responsible for the important lime contents.

We can see that the Kimmeridgian soils are the reasons for the trademark minerality in Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines of Chablis.

On the other hand, the Portlandian soils are not found to be rich in clay or fossil contents as a result of which the wines produced here are fruitier with low minerality.

About the Chablis Appellation and Classification

The vineyards in this region are coming under four appellations which are found to have various levels of classification. Starting from the top quality, the levels are:

Chablis Grand Cru
Chablis Premier Cru
Chablis
Petit Chablis

Chanson Pere & Fils – Chablis 2014 75cl Bottle
€21.04 Find merchant

Of these, Chablis AOC is the most widespread classification which was created in the year 1938. The other classification Chablis Grand Cru was also created during the same time.

The Chablis Premier Cru can’t be called as a distinct classification because it’s the quality sub-division of your Chablis Grand Cru.

We can find that the region is having around 40 climates producing Premier Cru wines and seven named climates producing Grand Cru wines.

The last classification Petit Chablis is the least prestigious of all the appellations and was created in the year 1944.

This was formed with the aim of covering less highly-rated vineyards of the region.

How about the Grapes and Wines?

All the Chablis wines are produced from 100% Chardonnay and are found to be fresh and dry.

Unlike your typical Burgundy white wine that is barrel-fermented, Chablis will have little to no oak impact.

Drouhin Vaudon – Chablis Reserve de Vaudon 2013 6x 75cl Bottles
€143.60 Find merchant

In general, the wines of Chablis are described as having the aromas of citrus and white flowers. As such, these wines will be light-bodied with high acidity.

The colors of these wines will be greenish-yellow and they seem to have a higher clarity.

[mr_rating_form]

Author

Tharani Rajamanickam

Winewriter

I am Tharani, I have Bachelors degree in Biotechnology. I am passionate about the wine industry and continue to explore, learn and share and I bring in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help you keep updated with best wines in the world. Stay tuned..

Facebook

Are you a Copywriter?

We have a lot of articles without much content, if you can do it better, you are welcome to write a nice article, and get the proper credit for that. Read more information about beeing an author, and Contact us for more information.