Why is Chablis unique in the world of Burgundy in re: to soils?
While it’s soils are Jurassic in origin, it is a much younger part of the Jurassic, so they’re limestones and chalks and marls, come from a much younger period than the rest of Burgundy.
In fact, Chablis comprises a part of Burgundy called the Kimmeridgean ring, which encompasses “wine islands” (that reach from Champagne, to Chablis and Loire: Sanscerre)
Chablis is almost equidistant from the Ob of Champagne, the Cote d’nuits in Burgundy and the Sancerre area of Loire
It is the chalk that gives Chablis it’s unique status.
Chablis has been producing distinctive white wines in the region since ______?
The Chardonnay grape was believed to have been introduced by ___________?
Chablis is a “Terroir” role model because..?
The Middle Ages
The Cistertians
The taste of a Chablis Chardonnay is so distinctive that it stands out.
it is believed that distinction comes from a large extent from the Kimmeridgian, chalk soils
Portlandian chalk, a harder cap rock that also exosts in the Chablis area.
Brief History:
200 AD: what happened?
600-1400 AD: what happened?
1100 AD: what happened?
1859 AD: what happened?
200 AD: The Romans are believed to have introduced the vine around this time
600-1400 AD: The monks came in and really refined the viticulture of the area. They set up vineyards as early as 600 AD, and then the Cistersian monks came in the 12th century, and they’re credited with the most refinement that took place in the viticulture that created the region as we know it today.
1100 AD:
Already wine was a dominant element being produced in the area, and the city of
Auxerre becomes a major river port supplying Paris.
The 2 rivers that function in this area are the Yonne River (larger) Serein River.
Auxerre was a city built on the Yonne river and served as a river port. The wines could be transported up the river Yonne, were it joined with the Seine river and the wines could go into Paris and beyond, and the areas wines became quite famous.
1850 AD: This area became Burgundy’s most important wine area
Producing Vineyard Acreage in Chablis & Grand Auxerrois
1890:
1950:
2008:
Producing Vineyard Acreage in Chablis & Grand Auxerrois
1890: 100,000 Acres
1950: 1200 Acres
2008: 16,575 Acres
Note: Chablis comprises 75% of the vines today
Today, Chablis comprise ____% of the vines today Vs. Gran Auxerrois?
75 %
What haoppend to drastically reduce the amount of vineyards after the 1890s?
3 “body blows” of the 19th Century
3 “body blows” of the 19th Century
1) Powdery and downy mildews
2) Phylloxera
and just as they were figuring out solutions to those problems…
3) it was too late, they’d lost their traditional market, which was primarily the Paris market. During this time the railroad to the Mediterranean was completed (in 1856), and now the lower cost wines from the midi area of France could easily be transported into the Paris market, so Chablis lost their traditional market.
Other Contributing factors to the decline of Chablis
- World War 1: A lot of the men had to leave and many were killed.
- Economic Stagnation: Due to the war, the economy was down, so the demand for wine certainly decreased
- Rural De-population: Young people went to Paris and got jobs there, and there was just no labor force.
All of these factors came together and resulted in much of the land not being replanted to grape vines.
Total Acres planted in the Chablis & Grand Auxerrois area?
% in Chablis?
16,575 vineyard acres
75% of those are in Chablis
How many millions of cases in the Chablis & Grand Auxerrois area?
3.11 million cases
% of white wine produced in the Chablis & Grand Auxerrois area?
% of this white that is from the Chablis AOC
92 % white wine
85%
White Grapes of the Chablis & Grand Auxerrois area?
Chardonnay (aka Beaunois)
- this indicates that it probably
came from the Beaune area originally
Aligote:
Sacy: a grape maybe coming from Italy in the 13th century. A high producer and high acid grape. Today, it’s production is slowly going away, but it’s still used in the Auxerrois, in particular, especially in Cremant production.
Sauvignon (Blanc): The grape that comrises the appellation of St. Bris. Has been planted in the area, since 1850.
Melon (Melon d’ Bourgogne):Found in smaller amounts. Mainly in the Vezelay appellation, and there’s not much of it produced.
4 Red Grapes of the Chablis & Grand Auxerrois area?
Pinot Noir is King
Gamay
Cesar: Only found in the Yonne. Believed to have come from the Romans. Is used in the Irancy village Appellation.
Tressot: So little of it that it hardly bears mentioning. It is slowly disappearing.
Chablis AOC Hierarchy:
Chablis Grand Cru (1, with 7 parcels): 255 Acres, 60,000 cases (9L)
Chablis Premier Cru (more scattered): 1935 Acres, 490,000 cases
Chablis (Village Level): 8.140 Acres. 2.08 million cases.
Petit Chablis (also Village status): Normally planted on the less favored sites, and produces a wine that’s lighter and less costly as well,
Total: 12,280 Acres, 3.11 million cases
Village AOCs of The Auxerrois
Irancy (as of 1999, was a Bourgogne before): A Pinot Noir/Cesar blend (5-10%)
Saint-Bris: a 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine
Regional AOCs of Chablis & Grand Auxerrois
Known as “Affordable Burgundy”
affordable, food worthy, and very drinkable as young wines
- Cote d’Auxerre: Red & white
- Chitry: mostly white wine
- Coulanges-la-Vineuse: Red
- Epinueil: Red
- Vezelay: White
- Tonnerre: mostly Pinot
- Cote Saint-Jacques (Joigny): Red, slope of 10 acres
Where is the Grand Cru of Chablis located?
A slope of the North East side of the river, right across from the Village of Chablis. Essentially the vineyards are on pretty steep slopes and face the South West,primarily, sometimes the SE, sometimes the South, but mainly South.
It’s protected quite nicely, except for the frost.
Describe Chablis layout
The region of Chablis is sort of bi-sected by the Serein river.
The river is a very narrow valley that really gets a lot of frost.
Name the 2 rivers in the Chablis & Grand Auxerrois area:
Yonne
Serein
One of the main challenges of the Chablis area today.
What are remedies?
Frost damage. “The Frost Capital”
The Serein River Valley is a natural frost pocket. The cold air comes in from the NW, and they usually get severe frost about 3-4 years of every decade.
Remedies:
- Smudge pots, cost $180/ac/night to burn. Burnt in the vineyards on the really cold nights. Very expensive. Tanks to store the fuel, and someone keeping watch to make sure they don’t go out.
- Overhead Sprinklers $180/50ac night. Initial large cost, but then much cheaper. *the most desirable
- Experimentals: EDF wire (run a wire along the vineyard rows that emanates heat.
plastic sheeting
As a general statement, the Petit Chablis has more of what soil?
Portlandian
Where are the Premiere Crus located?
Some are in the East side of the river, near the Grand Cru, and some are on the SW side. The altitude is higher on the E side.
Chablis Grand Cru
“Seven Siblings”
1 Gran Cru, divided into 7 Parcels
Staring in the Southeast…
- Blanchot: (31.4 acres) Extreme Southeast. More delicate floral notes. Not quite as minerally as some of the others.
- Les Clos: (64 acres) Largest of the 7 parcels, and very highly regarded for it’s qualities. Best known, and probably easiest to find. Can’t go wrong with one.
- Valmur: (32.6 acres). Nestled between Vaudesir & Les Clos. Also highly regarded. Has a fuller, softer style of grand Cru Chablis
- Les Grenouilles: (23 acres). the smallest of the parcels, so you don’t see very much of it. Ccan be very powerful, with piercing type of fruit. Literallt means frogs. It’s lower down near the river, so probably gets it’s name from that.
- Vaudesir: (36.3 acres) Known for more of a higher toned finesse. At a higher elevation, and this helps create its style of more finesse
- Les Preuses:(28.2 acres) Highly regarded. Ripe succulent racy.
- Bougros: (31 acres) A little more rough around the edges. A little burly and more rustic.
- Moutonne: A monopole. Owned by a sinlge producer. Domaine Long-Depaquit, which is owned by the Albert Bichot Domaine Negociant in Beaune.
You can find some Moutonne, but it does not have it’s separate status in terms of the official law. It is part of Vaudesir, and a little piece of it is Preuses.
But sometimes from Long-Depaquit, you can see a Moutonne in the marketplace. It is Grand Cru
*Chablis “La Moutonne” is not recognized as Grand Cru by INAO, but BIVB (Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne) recognizes it as Grand Cru. *Wikipedia
Evolution of the Premiers Crus
1967: ?
1978: ?
1986: ?
Evolution of the Premiers Crus
1967: 26 lieux-dits were combined and sold under 11 premiers crus climats (so, 26 places that were classified Premiere Cru, and they were marketed under 11 Premiere Cru Climat names).
1978: The INAO made a decreed that loosened up the restrictions, as far as where the boundries of where Premier Crus could be, so by
1986: the 26 lieux-dits expanded into 40 lieux-dits, and they created more flagship names, so today, the 40 are marketed under 17 premiers crus climats
Most well known of the Premiers Crus (3)
- Fourchaume
- Montee de Tonnerre
- Mont de Milieu
All 3 are on the North side of the village, adjacent to the Grand Cru slope (almost extensions of it) with similar soils (kimmeridgean ) and microclimate
