Chablis: History and Lore

Question 1

What was significant about 1855 for Chablis?

Answer 1

1855 marked the beginning of a dark century for the region. In that year a 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.

Question 2

What was significant about the 1880s for Chablis’ future?

Answer 2

The future looked grim: the 1880s brought the twofold devastation of powdery mildew (1886) and phylloxera (1887), and World War I summoned every available vigneron—and their horses—to the front.

Question 3

How did WWll affect Chablis?

Answer 3

Chablis suffered heavy German bombardment during World War II, and despite battlefield victory the 1945 vintage fell victim to frost. In that year, only 481 total hectoliters of wine were produced. The post-war Chablis vineyard, reduced to 1-2% of its pre-phylloxera acreage, closed out 100 years of decline with a fitting image: in the frigid winter of 1956, the denizens of Chablis skied down the grand cru hillside, and the following vintage was completely wiped out by cold and frost.