France | Chablis

The vineyard area of Chablis, in the Yonne department, is centred around the town of Chablis which lies in the valley of the River Serein, surrounded by hills. This is one of Burgundy’s two classic white wine growing areas, yet geographically this region is closer to Champagne than to the rest of Burgundy; however, being further north than the rest of Burgundy, grown on different soils and under different climatic conditions, the resulting wines are subtly different in style to their Beaune counterparts. It is in Chablis that the Chardonnay grape variety expresses itself like nowhere else and offers dry white wines which stand out for their purity, freshness, finesse and minerality.

The majority of wine produced is classified as Chablis AOC without reference to any vineyard name, and although it can offer great value for money, choosing basic Chablis can be somewhat of a lottery if its origins are not from one of the more favourable locations with the region. The basic Chablis wines can be very austere, with green-plum fruit and high acidity. The better examples of this wine show more of the smoky minerality that is a more marked characteristic of the Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines.

Forty vineyards have the right to Chablis Premier Cru of which there are 17 principle ones. The best is often considered to be Montée de Tonnerre; however, other notable Premier Crus worth considering include Fourchaume, Mont de Milieu, Montmains, Vaillons and and Vaucoupin. These are generally on the well-exposed slopes that fan out from the Grand Cru site and they generally show riper fruit (lemon citrus, rather than apple or greengage), more body and sometimes a softer, creamier texture together with greater concentration of fruit.

At the highest level there are seven Grand Cru vineyards all located on one hill that overlooks the town of Chablis itself. These seven vineyards are: Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Les Preuses, Valmur and Vaudésir each offering their own particular and somewhat unique style. A Chablis Grand Cru requires bottle age to be at its best and as a result they can develop extraordinary complex smoky aromas with a long mouth-watering finish due to the refreshing high-acidity.

We feel that our range of Chablis provides a reliable and trustworthy source for those seeking wine from this region, providing as it does great value, quality and a selection of contrasting styles encompassing all levels (from AOC to Grand Cru) from some of the regions finest winemakers.