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The Wines of Chablis

It is not feasible in a guide such as this to explore every vineyard, every slope or every cuvée that bears the title Chablis. But the grand cru vineyards as well as a select number of the better premier cru sites are certainly worthy of some inspection, before I finish up with an admittedly very cursory nod towards the generic Chablis and Petit Chablis appellations.

The Grands Crus

Although there are seven Chablis vineyards that qualify for this grand title, there are not seven grand cru appellations. Unlike the Côte d'Or, where each grand cru has its own appellation, here we are talking about the climats of the single appellation Chablis Grand Cru. These seven climats lie in a single sweep just to the north of the town, on what is the right bank of the Serein. They largely face south, maximising exposure to the sun's rays, the exception being Les Blanchots which has a more south-easterly aspect. This latter vineyard lies at the extreme east of the slope which explains its different aspect, as here the slope turns northward, along the Vallée de Brechain. It seems good sense to me to start our grand cru journey here, and then work our way westward towards Bougros at the far end of the slope.

Les Blanchots is the grand cru with perhaps the most distinctive character, being a slightly cooler site than the others, and thus the wines are a touch more steely, lighter and elegant. Sometimes the wines of this 12.2-hectare site are accused of being too light; that, of course, is down to personal taste. Lying adjacent to les Blanchots is perhaps the most famous of all these seven climats, and at 24.8 hectares certainly the largest of the group, Les Clos. Powerful, capable of long ageing, sometimes beautifully perfumed, a good wine from Les Clos is more than a match for most from the Côte d'Or. Next comes Valmur, 11.9 hectares of vines facing southwest, the wines elegant and precise and, like Les Clos, capable of long ageing. The mid-point is Grenouilles, the smallest of the seven grands crus and yet I would imagine one of the first many people encounter. This is because 7.2 hectares of the site, which only amounts to 9.1 hectares in total, are owned by the Chateau de Grenouilles and are thus made and distributed (widely) by owners La Chablisienne, a fine co-operative and a source of many of my early Chablis experiences. Next-door is Vaudésir, a 14.4-hectare site which sits higher up the slope above and beyond a shallow valley which runs through the sweep of vineyards, separating Grenouilles from Vaudésir and the more westerly climats. It is pictured above, as seen from the viewpoint I have marked on the map (below), facing southeast and therefore looking across the vines down to the road which runs up this valley, with Valmur in the distance. The wines of Vaudésir tend towards elegance, with a spicy, floral perfume.

The final two sites are Les Preuses and Bougros. The former, 11.1 hectares, runs up from road running through the aforementioned valley, the incline gentle at first but much steeper towards the top of the slope, so much so that erosion is a problem, and there are steps built into the ground to facilitate the movement of workers up and down the vineyard. The vines of Les Preuses are illustrated in the image below, again as seen from the viewpoint marked on the map, this time looking southwest down across the vines towards the road which separates Les Preuses from Bougros. On the far side of this road in the image are some trees, but between the road and trees, unseen in the picture, is a narrow stretch of vines, the beginnings of Bougros. Beyond the trees, the town in the valley is Chablis itself, and the vineyards on the slope opposite include the premier cru Vaillons and the climat Les Lys. Maintaining our focus on Bougros for a moment, this 14.3-hectare vineyard is perhaps the black sheep of the family, the wines here tending towards an earthy rusticity. Nevertheless they appeal to many. On some labels (namely those of William Fèvre) you may also find mention of Côte Bouguerots, a 2.1-hectare sub-climat on a steep slope at the bottom of Bougros, as I have already discussed in my Burgundy label guide.

Although that completes our seven sites, mention of what many refer to as the eighth grand cru (although the team at Fèvre might argue this is a title deserved by Côte Bouguerots) is certainly necessary. This is La Moutonne, a plot of vines encompassing 2.4 hectares of the grand cru vineyard, straddling the Vaudésir and Les Preuses climats; it is a monopole owned and worked exclusively by Domaine Long-Depaquit, part of the Albert Bichot portfolio. Having originally been owned by the monks of the Abbey of Pontigny, the vineyard came to Long-Depaquit after the Revolution, and then to Bichot when this négociant acquired the Chablis domaine. Once used as a brand name for a wide range of wines, this practice was eventually halted, although an agreement between Long-Depaquit and the INAO allows for its use effectively as a grand cru appellation; you will find no mention of Vaudésir or Les Preuses on this label, only La Moutonne.

The Premiers Crus

There are in total 40 premier cru vineyards, and as I have written above it is simply not practical to give an individual account of all these climats here. This is particularly true when one considers that many of these climats rarely appear on the label, as many are merely sub-divisions of larger, better known vineyards with more marketable names. These seventeen more recognisable names are the primary climats, and although some producers are bottling the wines using the more specific sub-climats it is still the primary names that are most commonly found. Although I will explore only a handful of the most important vineyards in any detail, the full list of primary climats (with sub-climats in brackets) is given in the text box to the right.

Starting with the right bank premiers crus, the largest and perhaps the most favoured is Fourchaume. The Fourchaume sub-climat Vaurolent is directly contiguous with the grand cru Les Preuses, as it sits behind the crest of the grand cru slope. It is topographically isolated, separated from the rest of the Fourchaume climats by the valley formed by the Ru de Fontenay as it flows down towards the Serein. to the north of the grands crus. With appropriate care in the vineyards and cuverie the wines of Fourchaume can, perhaps unsurprisingly, challenge those from Les Preuses and the other grands crus, especially if they are based on fruit from the Vaurolent end rather than L'Homme Mort at the other. Perhaps highest in the right bank hierarchy, however, is Montée de Tonnerre, like Fourchaume an extension of the grand cru vineyards, this time at the Blanchots end. Again, here the vineyards are separated from the grands crus by a small valley. Many wines produced here, especially from the south-facing vines in the sub-climat Chapelot, challenge the grands crus on quality. Just a little further along this south-facing slope is the cru Mont de Milieu, another site responsible for some very good wines.

Although it might seem that the greatest premiers crus lie on the right bank, there are excellent sites on the left bank also, usually huddled onto south or southeast-facing slopes on the hills around the town. The largest although not necessarily the most reliable is Vaillons, just to the southwest of the town of Chablis itself and visible in the second of the two images above. It is quite common to see the sub-climats on labels here though, particularly Les Lys. Perhaps my favourite of the left bank vineyards, however, is Côte de Lechet. This site lies on the next south-facing slope to the north of Vaillons and is an excellent source of fresh wines with racy acidity. These characteristics perhaps reflect the cool and temperate nature of the site which is rather exposed to the winds coming up the valley created by the Serein. It was also the source of the first ever bottle of Chablis I drank, if memory serves me correctly. Other memorable bottles have been sourced from Montmains, which is on the next slope south of Vaillons. Here the wines tend to have good substance with lively acidity.

Do not be fooled into thinking that the other premier cru vineyards after this half-dozen yield only substandard wines simply because I have not expanded on them here; they all have the potential to yield great bottles, and the key in all cases is to look for reputable producers. I have provided a brief list of notable Chablis domaines above, although this is not in any particular order and it is certainly not exhaustive. Nevertheless each is worthy of mention, either in terms of absolute quality, value or commercial significance. In the same vein, beyond the grands and premiers crus there are extensive vineyards which are entitled only to the Chablis or Petit Chablis appellations which also should not be summarily ignored. The latter is in all honesty rarely interesting, but from a good grower the former can provide delicious wines which are typical of the appellation and yet not expensive. They can certainly be worth seeking out.

• Part 6: Côte d'Or: An Introduction