France Chablis

Question 1

When was Chablis AOC established?

Answer 1

1938

Question 2

When was Petit Chablis established?

Answer 2

1944

Question 3

What are the three designations of Chablis AOP?

Answer 3

Petit Chablis AOP
Chablis AOP
Chablis Grand Cru AOP

Question 4

What is the name of the River Valley that Chablis lies within?

Answer 4

Serein River

Question 5

Explain the soils profile Chablis?

Answer 5

Kimmeridgian marl. A mixture of limestone and clay laced with millions of oyster fossils, Kimmeridgian marl is visible in hillside outcrops around the village of Chablis, and soils derived from it are believed to produce higher quality wines.
On the elevated plateaus above the hillsides Kimmeridgian marl is buried under Portlandien limestone, a younger rock strata and a purer form of limestone. Petit Chablis, typically the simplest wine, is produced from these cooler, wind-exposed sites situated on Portlandien limestone.

Question 6

Explain the reasoning behind PC Chablis

Answer 6

Premier Cru designations are legally considered “geographical designations” for Chablis AOP, not a separate AOP (like Chablis Grand Cru AOP).

Question 7

Name the 7 Grand Cru’s of Chablis?

Answer 7

BOURGROS
BLANCHOT
LES CLOS
LES GRENOUILLES
VAUDESIR
VALMUR
PREUSES

Question 8

Name the 17 main Premier Crus?

Answer 8

Right Bank: Berdiot, Côte de Vaubarousse, Fourchaume, Les Fourneaux, Mont de Milieu, Montée de Tonnerre, Vaucoupin

Left Bank: Beauroy, Chaume de Talvat, Côte de Léchet, Côte de Jouan, Les Beauregards, Montmains, Vau de Vey, Vaillons, Vosgros, Vau Ligneau

Question 9

1956 is significant in Chablis why?

Answer 9

Frigid winter where one could ski down the Grand Cru hillside, the following vintage was also complete wiped out by frost.

Question 10

1855 marked the beginning of what in Chablis?

Answer 10

The 100 year downfall beginning with the Marseille-Paris railway opening (opening door for other regions to sell Medi wines the French capital)
1886 Powdery Mildew
1887 Phylloxera

Question 11

Explain Kimmeridgian soil?

Answer 11

Kimmeridgian” refers to an age in the Upper Jurassic Epoch, occurring roughly 150-157 million years ago. Named for the village of Kimmeridge in Dorset, UK, the Kimmeridgian rock stratum consists of crumbly, chalky marl (clay and limestone) and contains abundant Exogyra virgula fossils—the imprints of tiny oyster shells.

Question 12

Explain Portlandian limestone?

Answer 12

Portlandian limestone, a harder cap rock with less clay content. Portlandian limestone in Chablis lacks the multitudes of fossilized seashells that characterize Kimmeridgian marl, and it is younger, formed 130 million years ago. Portlandian soils—those that overlay Portlandian limestone—are sandier and thinner than Kimmeridgian soils.

Question 13

La Moutonne

Answer 13

(An eighth climat, La Moutonne—a monopole of Domaine Long-Depaquit overlapping Vaudésir and Preuses—is permitted by the INAO for usage on labels but not listed as an official geographic designation.)

Question 14

Peanut BButter LLoves VVanilla

Answer 14

les Preuses
Blanchots
les Bourgros
Les Grenouilles
Les Clos
Vaudesirs
Valmur

Question 15

What are the two other Appellations in the Yonne Department other than Chablis?

Answer 15

St Bris AOP-Sauvignon Blanc (only one in Burgundy)

Irancy AOP- Light reds from Pinot Noir

Question 16

Grand Cru Blanchots explain?

Answer 16

South East exposure

Faces Premier Cry Montee de Tonnerre

Question 17

Grand Cru Les Bougros explain?

Answer 17

Added into GC in 1938

North and close to the Serein River

Question 18

Grand Cru Les Grenouilles explain?

Answer 18

Sits in the middle of the GC
Named after the frogs that make this region their home
La Chablisiennes owns 7ha of the 9ha

Question 19

Grand Cru Les Clos explain?

Answer 19

Largest GC
Considered the most prestigious
Dates back to 1417
25.87 HA

Question 20

Grand Cru Les Preuves

Answer 20

GC also added in 1938
a small amount of Long-Depaquit’s “La Moutonne” monopole lie within Preuses. 0.11ha
Most Northerly of the GC’s

Question 21

Grand Cru Valmur explain?

Answer 21

Dates back to 1200’s
Enclosed valley in the center of the grand cru hillside. With little wind and airflow, it acts as a heat trap in the summertime, and an easy target for cold and frost in the winter and spring.

Question 22

Grand Cru Vaudesir explain?

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

When was Chablis Grand Cru established

Answer 23

Final AOP was established in 1938