Wine
Regions
Old World
France
Burgandy
Chablis

ABOUT CHABLIS

Map

This classic white wine area is dominated by the Chardonnay grape, which is grown on soils and under climatic conditions similar to those of nearby Champagne.

CHABLIS IS AN ISLAND OF VINEYARDS closer to Champagne than to the rest of Burgundy Known as the "Porte d'Or" or "Golden Gate', it has the advantage of being the inevitable first stop for anyone visiting the region by car, whether directly from Paris or via Champagne. Situated in the Yonne departement, much of which once formed part of the ancient province of Champagne. Chablis gives the traveler the distinct impression of an area cut off not simply from the remainder of Burgundy but from the rest of France. Great negociants seldom visit the area and have never made significant penetration into what appears to be Chablis's closed-shop-although young growers from the Cote d'Or have recently begun to show a healthy interest in methods a la chablis It is not wise to buy Chablis from a Beaune shipper, just as one should not buy Rhone wines from a Chablis shipper.

The varying styles of Chablis

The traditional description of Chablis is of a wine of clear, pale color with a green hue around the rim. It is very straight and positive, with an aggressive, steely character, very direct attack and a high level of acidity that needs a few years to round out. This description, however, no longer applies, for much has changed in the way these wines are made at both ends of the quality spectrum.

Twenty or thirty years ago most Chablis did not undergo malolactic fermentation. The wines that resulted had a naturally high acidity, and were hard, green and ungenerous in their youth, although they often matured into wines of incomparable finesse. Now most Chablis are put through malolactic and undergo cold stabilization to precipitate tartrates (although some wines fermented or matured in small oak casks are not) so that today's wines are fuller, softer and rounder There is a tendency by some producers to over capitalize and this gives the wines an alcohol-extract balance that is contrary to the norm for Chablis.

At the top end of the market there are two distinctly different schools. Some wines are fermented in stainless steel and bottled early to produce the most direct and attacking style. while others are fermented in wood and matured in casks with some new oak to give a much fatter, richer, almost Cote d Or style.

OTHER WINES OF THE YONNE

The two best-known other wines of the Yonne are the red wines of Irancy and the white of Sauvignon de St.-Bris.. The former is an AOC and sells under the Bourgogne-lrancy appellation. the latter a VDQS made from the Sauvignon grape. Irancy is simple and fruity at its best (and that is not often), while the Sauvignon produces a finer wine in St.-Bris than it does in parts of Bordeaux and the Loire, where the wines receive full AOC status.