Ambling through the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis
Chablis is considered to be part of the Burgundy region, of which it is the northernmost part. In reality, Chablis is geographically closer to
Champagne than to Burgundy.
While many French small towns and villages can be somewhat desolate and sad, Chablis is a lively, cheerful and beautiful village. It sits on the banks of the lovely River Serein. And as for virtually all French towns, the dominant historical role of the Catholic Church is manifest, notably in the 12th and 13th-century Collegiate Church of St. Martin.
But the wine walker is entranced by the hill slopes that surround the town. These slopes are covered by vineyards planted with the Chardonnay grape
variety, something it has in common with Burgundy proper and the Côte des Blancs in Champagne.
Chablis is a “cool climate” wine by virtue of its northern location. This means that its wines are more acidic and less fruity than Burgundy proper.
Some wine buffs prefer Chablis to the classical Burgundy wines thanks to its austerity, finesse and purity. They can even describe Chablis wines as having a “flinty” taste, or “goût de pierre à fusil” (“tasting of gunflint”).
The French wine industry is highly regulated such that Chablis wines are classified, based on their supposed quality. The best Chablis wines are known as Grand Cru, followed by Premier Cru, then the generic AOC Chablis, and lastly Petit Chablis.
Today, we walked through the Grand Cru vineyards, which make wines of the following appellations – Bougros, Les Preuses, Vaudésir, Grenouilles, Valmur, Les Clos and Blanchot – an athletic gallop up the slopes. But these spectacular wines only account for about 3 percent of the annual production of Chablis.
As great as French wine can be, only a very small proportion is truly great. Frost and freezing cold weather is a frequent challenge for winegrowers, and has been this year. I saw evidence of
candles being lit to stop grapes from freezing.
Good Chablis wine can mature with age, sometimes up to 15 years or more.
As you can see, I could not resist a Grenouilles from the year 2007.
Links
Chablis Grand Cru
The Grand Crus of Chablis
Chablis
Logistics
Train from Paris-Bercy to Tonnerre. Then a taxi over to Chablis. A bit expensive, but worth it.