What the heck is Chablis?

So I went to a master class on Chablis that was hosted by Black Wine Professionals. At the 3 classes across Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C., it was announced that there was an essay contest, defending Chablis against the “Anything But Chardonnay” cliche, and the winner would be brought on a private tour of Chablis with Julia Coney and the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne.

Guess who’s essay was the highest scoring?

Contest Winner!

I’ll give you a little snippet:

The unabounding joy that Chablis can provide as a perfect blending of well developed fruit and resonating terroir as it pairs with what had once grown and thrives inside of her ancient waters, connects the old wine adage of “what grows together, goes together” in a deeply intuitive and metaphysical manner. A journey through wine history and a taste of Jean Dauvissat’s 1er Cru Vallions, lusciously weighted by a dollop of wood, showcases the crus bright yellow fruits and chalky liberality while leaving you wanting more. That single glass is enough to turn any ABC into an All Day Chardonnay.

Needless to say, I am going to give you a recap of a lifetime.

In the days to come we’ll explore the producers we visited, the foods we ate, and for you serious wine nerds out there, the conversations with producers about climate, climats, and terroir. Right now, we’ll give you a little pre-course on Chablis, Bourgogne and what all the fuss is over this region.

Drinking Chablis at the Citi du Vin in Chablis.

Chablis is the name of the northern-most part of the winemaking region of Bourgogne or Burgundy France. When flying

in, you’ll touch down in Paris and then take a drive 2 hours southwest until you get to the first stop in the magical wine kingdom of Bourgogne, a wine making region steeped in history that dates back to Roman era. As is the modern day wine law in Bourgogne, Chablis makes Chardonnay, with the exception of the tiny appellation of Saint-Bris, which grows the only Sauvignon Blanc in Bourgogne. Unlike the Chardonnays of the Cote d’Or, wood aging is not a key component; infact, little if any wine is housed in wood, making Chablis a fresh, minerally burst of fruit. Think meyer lemons squeezed with limestone and served in oyster shells. The little wine that is stored in oak bakes and roasts the lemon, sometimes adding a bit of ginger to the lemonade.

A map of Chablis AOC via the BIVB.

Like the rest of Bourgogne, Chablis depends on the terroir for structure, with a huge caveat; unlike it’s hilly sister, Chablis was once a shallow sea, and because of that, Chablis’ four appellations structure themselves on soil content and sun exposure. Petit Chablis is grown on Portlandian soil, or limestone where as Chablis (village, premiere and grand cru) are grown on Kimmeridgian soil, a and clay rife with exogyra virgula, fossils of an ancient comma shaped oyster that lived in the long eroded sea. The vineyards sunbathing along the shore of the Serine river make up the Grand Cru, lovingly nicknamed “Grand Cru Hill.”

The view from Grand Cru Hill

The cool climate of Chablis forces the grapes to mature quickly in the short but intense summers, causing sun exposure to be the second key factor in which plots can boast one of the 47 different climat of Chablis, or if a vine is Premier cru or Petit Chablis.

At the top of Grand Cru Hill

Now that you’re armed and prepped with the basics, it’s time to get into the magic that is Chablis!