Burgundy : Chablis

Question 1

Chablis : General

Answer 1

outstanding * 110kms NW of Dijon
* Chardonnay - dry, med body, medium alcohol, zesty high acid , lemon and apple - trend is for no oak
* good to outstanding wines that can be cellared and aged
* Mid price to prem
* 19th century popularity due to its proximity to paris
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Question 2

Chablis: Climate

Answer 2

continental with cold winters and warm summers
uncertainty about ripening in some vintages leading to considerable vintage variation
Average rainfall is 670mm
spread throughout the year = moist climate threat of fungal disease and threat of rot
Vulnerable to pring frost and hail storms
Soils are limestone and clay - Kimmeridgian soil ( fossillised seashells)

Manageing Frost in Chablis
-smudge pots , rewuires staff and causes pollution
-sprinklers - installation and maintenance is expensive
* premier and grand crus or well funded wineries
- pruning choices, late pruning promotes later bud burst reducing the chance of damage to the new buds from early sping frost

Question 3

Chablis : vineyard management

Answer 3

• 41B Vinifera and Berlandieri rootstocks are widely used
• as they are highly tolerant of limestone with high PH aoila
• Double Guyot replacement cane training is norm - if one cane fails te other may survive the frost
• ‘Yields are higher than Cote D’or althogh recent years have seem hail and frost reduce
• Mostly machine picked - exception of the grand crus on steep slopes
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Question 4

Chablis : Soil types

Answer 4

• Petit Chablis : higher ,cooler vineyards with Portlandian soils - hard limestone with some clay =
• light green apple and lemon fruit
• Chablis - mix of Kimmeridgian soils
• medium intensity wines green apple and lemon fruit
• Both on flat land or gentle slopes , some with north facing leading to light bodies wines and high acid
• Chablis Premier Cru - 40 names crus on S and SE facing slopes of Kimmeridgian soils
• Wines made fom specific plots or lieux dits can be labelled eg. Chablis Prremier Cru AOC Troesmes
• or under the larger CLimat eg. Chablis Premier Cru AOC Beauroy
• **Climat- named vineyard fixed in AOC legislation
• Lieu-Dit - named land in the centralised land register **
• Chablis Grand Cru. -
• 7 named crus or climats eg. Le Clos
• Next to the village of Chablis facing SW / Mid slope on Kimmeridgian soil , crumbly marl and good drainage/high clay content for water retention
• riper wines with greater weight and concentration / ability to age
• Also have wind protection from. the north / trees to protect them
• 1% of production

Question 5

Chablis : Winemaking

Answer 5

• Chaptalisation is widely used to the legal limit
• Fermentation is SS with storage in SS and Concrete for a few months
• MLFC is common to soften the acid and wines may sped some time on lees to enhance texture
• The wines are celebrated for their crisp apple and citrus notes so oak is not used unless PC or GC / mixture of old, new oak and ss /concrete
• eg .William Fevere uses new oak
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Question 6

Chablis : Wine Law and Business

Answer 6

• only Chardonnay
• MAX YIELDS ARe :
• Petit Chablis 60hl/hc
• Chablis 58hl/hc
• Chablis PC and GC 54 hl/hc
• Negociants and Domaines -
• 1/4 is vinified by co-op La Chablisienne
• More growers / Domaines
• William Fevre founded Le Syndicat de Defense de l’Appellation de Chablis 1933 to help stop fraud and address
• environmental issues
• Grand Cru - L”Union des Grand Crus de Chablis help promote quality, hand harvesting and sustainable viti
• Francois Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat sell for super prem prices
• 2/3 exported to UK, USA and Japan
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