What I Learned
The Chablis wine sub-region is in Burgundy, a land of incredible wines. Further north and west than the rest of Burgundy, it is a cooler, wind-swept area, once covered for millennia by a vast sea. The local soil, soil known as Kimmeridgian, is a combination of clay and limestone. The limestone’s most notable aspect is the presence of fossilized seashells within it. As a result, the stones here have a unique note of salty chalk, giving the wine a crisp, clean, fresh mineral flavor notes not often found in Chardonnay from elsewhere.
The Burgundy wine region is famous for its Chardonnay, and the Chablis sub-region is no exception. The grape varietal in all Chablis wine is Chardonnay. There are seven Grand Cru (Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur, Vaudesir, all in the town of Chablis), and over 40 Premier Cru. Further down the appellation scale is Chablis, then Petit Chablis.
To preserve its unique flavor profile though, Chablis wine is typically vinified and stored in stainless steel, in contrast to other Burgundian Chardonnays, which are stored in oak after fermentation.
What I Tasted
2016 Chardonnay, Premier Cru Fourchaume, Appellation Chablis Premier Cru Protegee, Matthieu Antunes: A dry white Chablis wine with a light gold color; mineral nose, with a chalky, oyster-like flavor, slight fruit; smooth finish with medium plus acidity.
2014 Chardonnay, Premier Cru, Les Fourneaux, Appellation Chablis Premier Cru Controlee, Domaine de la Meuliere (Fleys): A dry white Chablis wine with light gold color; a white fruits and mineral nose, with vanilla, pear and apple flavors; medium minus acidity.
2014 Chardonnay, Fleurs de Chene, Appellation Chablis Controlee, Domaine de la Meuliere (Fleys): A dry white Chablis wine from old vines with light gold color; nose of smoke and apple, and apple, spice and vanilla flavors; medium acidity with a tart finish.
2014 Chardonnay, Appellation Chablis Controlee, Domaine de la Meuliere (Fleys): A dry white Chablis wine from old vines with light gold color; nose and flavors of green apple; acidity medium minus
2014 Chardonnay, Appellation Chablis Controlee, l’Union des Viticulteurs de Chablis – Edition Pierre Chanau: A dry white wine, with light plus green gold color; mineral and spice nose, with rich vanilla, spice, and oak flavors; medium plus acidity.
2012 Chardonnay, Cote de Jouan, Appellation Chablis Premier Cru, Domaine Colbois: A dry wine with light gold color; white fruit and mineral flavors, a light medium body wine, it packs a racy acidity.