Chablis

Overview

Chablis is home to some of the driest and most elegant wines made from the Chardonnay grape. The region lies in the far north of Burgundy, and is actually about 40 miles closer to Champagne than it is to the rest of Burgundy and was, in fact, part of Champagne at one time. Although it is one of the classic regions of Burgundy, its growing conditions have more in common with Champagne’s than with the rest of Burgundy’s. Chablis faces challenging cool weather conditions that keep growers on edge, but when conditions are right its Chardonnay is dry, crisp, and absolutely exhilarating.

Geography

Located midway between Paris and Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, Chablis is 19 miles to the south of the nearest vineyards in Champagne, but a full 60 miles from the nearest Burgundy vineyard to the south.

Temperature

Champagne and Chablis share a very cold climate that gives the grapes and their resulting wines possess searing levels of acidity. The northern European climate brings risk of frost and hail, and winters are usually hot and cold. Spring is generally humid, and summer is hot and dry with an abundance of sunlight.

Topography

All seven of Chablis’ grands crus lie on a single shelf of southwest-facing hillsides just north of the town of Chablis itself. The elevation here is around 500 feet, and you can easily see the picturesque town from the gently sloping hills of the grand cru vineyards. Most of Chablis’ premier crus, on the other hand, are on hillsides that slope southeast.

Terroir

The soils of Chablis are made up of chalky clay with fossilized sea creatures. The combination of these Kimmeridgian and Portlandian soils, as they are called, and the cold continental climate presents ideal conditions for the world’s best Chardonnay wines. In fact, all Chablis AC wines are made from Chardonnay. There are 40 premiers crus and seven grands crus in Chablis.

Traditionally, Chablis is unoaked, flinty, and steely with a greenish hue on the rim. It is more likely to find oak aging in wines of premier or grand cru status because their vineyards produce fruit that is ripe enough to stand up to the flavor of the wood, and they generally have more money to spend on expensive oak barriques. In either case, wines that bear the Chablis name are invariably crisp with very distinct flinty minerality. Aromas that whisper “Chablis” include, hay, apples, minerals, and wet stone.

Important Varietals

Chardonnay (Main Variety)
Pinot Noir
Pinot Gris
Sauvignon Blanc