In the far north of Burgundy, delve into the organoleptic puzzle that is Chablis.
Chablis is one of France’s most recognisable wine appellations. You don’t need to know that it is made from Chardonnay, where exactly the vineyards are in northern Burgundy, or even what it tastes like, to know that, if offered a glass of Chablis, you should gladly accept.
In geographical terms, Chablis stands alone, in the Yonne département – far closer to the most southerly vineyards of Champagne, in the neighbouring Aube, than to the rest of Burgundy. This is the northern limit for producing fine still wines from the Chardonnay grape, which means that vintages vary greatly in ripeness and longevity. The secret to the unique flavour profile of the best Chablis, however, is found beneath the vines, in its Kimmeridgian clay-limestone soils.
Despite its global renown, Chablis can be something of a puzzle. It is typically an austere wine, especially in its youth – which is how most people tend to drink it. It is at once difficult to pick out in a blind tasting (and I write from awkward experience) and prone to produce frustratingly homogenous
tasting notes, such as “mineral, steely and citrus”. If it is sometimes tricky to pick out aroma variations in Chablis, the differences in quality between its wines are easier to discern. Even within the generic Chablis appellation, purists claim that the wines lose their finesse when Kimmeridgian soils give way to the region’s more common Portlandian limestone.
Chablis Premier Cru is a collection of 40 superior named vineyards that produce wines that are a step up in quality from generic Chablis, although their tight-knit stony flavours can usually be appreciated when the wine is still relatively young.
At the top of Chablis’s quality tree are the seven Grand Cru vineyards that rise as a single south-and-west-facing slope across the river from the village of Chablis. These can produce wines of superlative poise and concentration, although they often need several years in bottle before they’re ready to show their best.
Like most of France’s wines, Chablis has evolved somewhat in recent years, as a combination of later picking, careful grape sorting and warmer growing conditions have produced generally riper, more approachable wines. But it remains a wine that reveals itself in delicate shades rather than primary colours.
And it is this subtle restraint that makes it both an accomplished food partner and a wine that, even at Grand Cru level, remains surprisingly affordable compared with bottles of similar quality from elsewhere in Burgundy.
DOMINIC’S CHOICE
From France Today Magazine
Lead photo credit : © DOMINIC RIPPON
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