Chablis Flashcards
Why was the 1850s to the 1950s a dark period for Chablis?
What changed?
—1855 the Marseille-Paris railway opened, providing a quick and efficient means of transporting cheap Midi wines to the French capital and beyond, while diminishing Chablis’ ability to compete.
—1886 powdery mildew; 1887 phylloxera
—WWI loss of farmers to war and WWII heavy bombardment
***1950s mechanization of vineyards and 1980s mechanical harvesters reclaiming lost acreage.
What communes make up Grand Auxerrois?
Vézelay
Irancy
Tonnerre
Joigny
How does the climate of Chablis differ from the rest of the Côte d’Or
Generally cooler and wetter, and so much more susceptible to spring frosts.
What are the three controlled appellations of Chablis?
Petite Chablis AOP
Chablis AOP
Chablis Grand Cru AOP
What is Chablis’ unofficial designation?
Burgundy’s porte d’or or “golden gate”
When were Chablis AOC laws established?
1938
How did the INAO restrict the viticultural zone of Chablis in 1938?
To areas wherein soils overlay Kimmeridgian marl, referring to an age in the Upper Jurassic Epoch, occuring roughly 150-157 million years ago.
What river is found in Chablis?
Serein river
What are the seven grand crus vineyards of Chablis?
Location? (W-E)
*Chablis Grand Cru AOP is single appellation, with seven official geographic designations (all on the right bank of the Serein):
Bougros: SW of Les Preuses and west of Vaudésir
Les Preuses: most northerly
Vaudésir: SE of Les Preuses and east of Bougros
Grenouilles: SE of Bougros and west of Valmur
Valmur: South of Vaudésir and east of Grenouilles
Les Clos: South of Grenouilles and Valmur
Blanchot: Most southern; South of Les Clos; only grand cru with SE exposures
Bougros and Preuses in 1938 added later
Four reasons Grand Crus of Chablis are Chablis’ best vineyards?
—Kimmeridgian soil
—privledged aspect (south/southwest; except SE for Blanchot)
—location near the Serein
—the regions warmest slopes, bathed in afternoon light and protected from cold north winds.
What is the eighth unofficial grand cru climat of Chablis
Who owns it?
Where is it located?
La Moutonne–a monopole of Domaine Long-Depaquit “Long- de-pack-KEY” overlapping Vaudesir and Preuses.
**Most of Domaine Long-Depaquit’s 2.35-ha monopole “La Moutonne” is within Vaudésir.
What restrictions are put on Chablis Grand Cru AOP
Minimum potential alcohol levels rise from 10% to 11%
Maximum base yields fall from 60 to 54 hl/ha.
Grand cru climats are also the only vineyards routinely harvested by hand in the entire region.
What are the 17 “major” premier crus of Chablis?
Which bank are they on?
Which is the largest from each bank?
Right Bank:
—Fourchaume (103.31 ha) only 1er cru north of the Grand Crus
—Berdiot (Far NE of the right bank)
—Côte de Vaubarousse (South of Berdiot)
—Les Fourneaux (SE of Vaubarousse)
—Montée de Tonnerre South of GC Blanchot)
—Mont de Milieu (SE of Montée de Tonnerre)
—Vaucoupin (SE of Mont de Milieu; furthest south of the Right Bank 1er cru)
Left Bank:
—Beauroy (northern-most 1er cru on left bank)
—Vau de Vey (west of Lechet)
—Vau Ligneau (SW of Vau de Vey)
—Côte de Léchet
—Vaillons (*113.3 ha) (north of Montmains)
—Montmains (sub climats, Butteaux and Forêt.)
—Vosgros (SE corner of left bank)
—Chaume de Talvat (SE corner; north of Jouan)
—Côte de Jouan (SE corner; south of Talvat and north of Beauregards)
—Les Beauregards (SE corner; southernmost 1er cru)
Which premier cru is widely considered the top cru in Chablis?
Montée de Tonnerre, a stone’s throw across the narrow Vallée de Bréchain from Blanchot, is widely considered the top premier cru in Chablis, and in the right hands (Raveneau, Patrick Piuze, Billaud-Simon) it surpasses many less ambitious estates’ grand cru output.
Describe generally the difference in flavor profile of the left bank and right bank crus of Chablis?
On left bank wines might appear a bit more restrained; the right bank wines show more opulent and exotic ripe fruit notes.
What does Kimmergidgian refer to?
Named for the village of Kimmeridge in Dorset, UK, the Kimmeridgian rock stratum consists of crumbly, chalky marl (clay, argile and limestone; calcaire) and contains abundant Exogyra virgula fossils–the imprints of tiny oyster shells.
An age in the Upper Jurassic Epoch, occurring roughly 150-157 million years ago.
How is Portlandian soils different from Kimmeridgian?
Portlandian soils are sandier and thinner and lack the fossilized seashells that characterize Kimmeridgian marl.
—on the ridges and plateaus surrounding the Serein River Valley the Kimmeridgian marl is buried beneath Portlandian limestone, a harder cap rock with less clay content.
What is lutte raisonnée?
literally ‘reasoned struggle’, is an approach to viticulture which tries to minimize the application of agrochemicals so that they are used only when absolutely necessary and not as a matter of routine.
What two diseases hit Chablis in the late 1800’s and what were the years?
Powdery Mildew 1886
Phylloxera 1887
How much of Chablis is harvested by machine?
Nearly 95%
Grand Cru Chablis
Min Pot Alcohol?
Min Must Weight?
Max Yield?
- Min Pot Alcohol: 11%
- Min Must Weight: 178 g/l
- Max Yield: 54 hl/ha
Premier Cru Chablis
Min Pot Alcohol?
Min Must Weight?
Max Yield?
- Min Pot Alcohol: 10.5%
- Min Must Weight: 170 g/l
- Max Yield: 58 hl/ha
Chablis
Min Pot Alcohol?
Min Must Weight?
Max Yield?
- Min Pot Alcohol:10%
- Min Must Weight: 161 g/l
- Max Yield: 60 hl/ha
Petite Chablis
Min Pot Alcohol?
Min Must Weight?
Max Yield?
- Min Pot Alcohol: 9.5%
- Min Must Weight: 153 g/l
- Max Yield: 60 hl/ha
What grape varieties are used in Saint-Bris AOP?
White wine made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris
What were the last two grand cru to be classified in Chablis?
Bougros and Preuses were not originally classified as Grand Cru in 1935; they were added in 1938 as part of the final AOC legislation.
What is considered the best Grand Cru in Chablis?
What is considered the second best?
—Les Clos
“This climat, which dates to at least 1417, is unanimously considered the top vineyard in Chablis. No walls stand today.”
–Vaudésir
“Many critics posit Vaudésir as the second-best grand cru, after Les Clos. Most of Domaine Long-Depaquit’s 2.35-ha monopole “La Moutonne” is within Vaudésir.”
What two lieux-dits in Chablis may be labeled as Montmains?
Name three producers that use each.
Forêts and Butteaux are sub-climats of Montmains.
François Raveneau, Louis Michel, Patrick Puize all bottle from both.
How does the the mixture of clay and limestone of the Kimmeridgian soils in Chablis affect the flavor of the wine?
List two contrasting examples.
Erosion offers one of a few dependable patterns—a confluence of clay (argile) gathering on bottom-slope parcels and harder limestone (calcaire) at the top.
Blanket statement: argile- heavy soils tend to yield a richer, softer wine with an emphasis on fruit intensity over mineralité. The austere, racy side of Chablis derives from calcaire.
Raveneau vineyards are the example below:
*Vaillons and Butteaux are next door neighbors at the exact same elevation, yet the two could not be more different in the glass.
—Vaillons, argile-rich and notably warm, is the first to be harvested. The result is a fatter, more open expression of Chablis – as accessible and fruit-centric as a traditional producer gets.
—Butteaux is also dominated by clay, but have higher proportions of calcaire than other parts of the vineyard. Coupled with an inherently cooler mesoclimate, the byproduct is a weighty but structured wine with piercing acidity and minerality.
Chablis Vintages
Cooler Vintages?
Warmer Vintages?
Cooler years: 2004, 2007, 2010
Warmer: 2009, 2014, 2015
What techniques are used to combat frost in Chablis?
—Aspersion: Spraying the vines with water to form a protective coating of ice. Vines incur damage at -5° C, and the coating bars temperatures dropping below zero.
—Chaufferettes- vented metal firepots (“miniature chimneys) used to combat the cold temps.
What recent vintages were affected by hail in Chablis
2016: as much as 50%
2015: Early September hail damaged 300 hectares of vineyards
