Appellations Classification + Number
Petit Chablis AOC
Chablis AOC
Chablis Premier Cru (40)
Chablis Grand Cru (7)
Chablis Grand Crus, from South East to North:
Blanchot Les Clos Valmur Grenouilles Vaudésir Preuses Bougros
Chablis well-known producers:
Jean-Marc Brocard
William Fèvre
Dauvissat
Raveneau
La Chablisienne (cooperative)
Chablis: Located in the valley of which river?
Serein
Chablis History
- Early 19th century: Popular in Paris (proximity) leads to boom
- (1856) Railway opening –> competition with (cheaper) wines of South of France
- (1886-1887): Powdery mildew & Phylloxera
- After WW2: Rural depopulation
- 1945: Devastating frost
= (Chablis reduced to 500 ha)
Nowadays around 5500 ha
Chablis: Climate
Continental: Warm summers, cold winters
Chablis: Weather hazards
Northern location - Uncertainty about ripening - Vintage variation
Spring frost: Harming buds and shoots - affecting yield
Rainfall –> Moist climate - Fungal diseases & rot
Chablis rainfall
670 mm/year
Frost management (Chablis & Burgundy)
- Smudge pots: Polluting, smoky & requires staff to operate them
- Sprinkles: Aspersion system where the water on the berries forms a wall when frosted and helps preserve the latent warmth of the berries. - Cost money to install and maintain & wind cannot guarantee proper aspersion on own vines
- Pruning choices: Pruning later to promote a later bud-burst (avoiding the early spring frosts)
- Electric cabling: Cleaner than smudge pots, raises ambient temperature, operated at night benefiting from France’s lower electricity rates at night time
Chablis rootstocks:
41B - Tolerant to high Ph of limestone soils
420A - Tolerant to high Ph of limestone soils & low vigour
Chablis training
Double Guyot (if one cane fails, the other might survive)
Chablis yield
Higher than in Côte d’Or
Affected due to frost & hails
Chablis picking
Machine harvest popular in great parts of Chablis
Manual picking for Grand Crus (too steep slopes for machine harvesting)
Chablis soils
Kimmeridgian soils: Grand Crus & Premier Crus
Portlandian soils: Chablis & Petit Chablis
What is kimmeridgian soil?
What is portlandian soil?
Kimmeridgian: A mix of limestone + calcareous clay with fossilized seashells / chalky marl, though with thin marly limestone containing rich layers of seashells –> gives a mineral profile to the wine
Portlandian: Hard limestone, little clay –> give a fruitier, less mineral profile to the wine
How many Chablis Grand Crus?
7
How many Chablis Premier Crus?
40
Chablis Grand Crus topography:
(Right next to the village itself)
Steep slopes South-west facing - Better sunlight interception - Shelter from winds - Good drainage Soils: Kimmeridgian. Crumbly marl & high content in clay (high water retention)
- -> PROMOTE RIPENING
- -> Wine style: Mineral, with weight and concentration. Fuller body, capacity to age
Chablis Premier Crus topography:
Slopes South / Sout-east facing aspects - Better sunlight interception - Shelter from winds - Good drainage Soils: Kimmeridgian (marl+limestone+clay+seashells)
Wine style: Fruity, round and concentrated
Chablis AOC topography:
Large area
Mixed aspects - many North facing
Predominantly flat lands & gentle slopes
–> Wine style: Light body, high acidity, medium intensity, green apple, lemon
Petit Chablis AOC topography:
Higher & cooler vineyards
Portlandian soils - mostly limestone little clay
Chablis Winemaking:
- Chaptalisation allowed to legal limits
- Fermentation in stainless steel typically - storage in steel or concrete
- Malolactic: YES - to soften acidity
- Lees: Sometimes - to enhance texture
- Use of oak - Usually NO
Use of oak in Chablis
Oak DOES NOT define Chablis - it is a controversial topic
Sometimes used for Premier and Grand Crus - but depending on producers.
- Some new oak producer: William Févre
- Barely any new oak: Jean-Marc Brocard
- Use of old oak: Vincent Dauvissat & Domaine Francois Raveneau
Chablis Maximum Yields
Petit Chablis: 60hL/Ha
Chablis: 60hL/Ha
Chablis Premier Cru: 58hL/Ha
Chablis Grand Cru: 54hL/Ha
