Chablis - the Birthplace of Chardonnay
Let’s clear this up right now. Chablis is not a grape! It’s an iconic wine region located within Burgundy, France. It’s found at the northern most tip of Burgundy and like all Burgundy white wine, it is made of 100% chardonnay grapes.
Chablis is the place of birth of chardonnay, its first clones planted by monks in the 12th century. From there it spread southward to the rest of Burgundy and the rest is history. Today chardonnay is the most planted white wine grape on earth!Yet nowhere else in the world can quite reproduce the magic of chardonnay grown in Burgundy. Such ist he case especially with Chablis where some of the soils are 180 million years old and include Kimmeridge clay, lending itself to very distinctive mineral and flinty notes.
It’s just as viscous and has texture as most southern hemisphere chardonnays yet it abounds with that famous minerality and freshness unable to be reproduced anywhere else.
So what is Premier Cru Chablis as opposed to just Chablis? Well, it represents the top 15% or so of Chablis vineyards that are just that bit more luscious than the others. Grand Cru Chablis you ask? Well there are only a few producers gifted with that gong. Supposedly the best of the best Chablis vineyards.
Having said that, once those beautiful chardonnay grapes have been picked and vinified, the chemistry in the bottle will speak for itself. Simply put, Chablis is just special! It’s a magic that must be experienced by any white wine lover before you knock off the earth. As luck would have it, there is an excellent example exclusively available at Popsy and JJ’s online shop.
A couple of Aussie larrikins that bring in artisan wines direct from Euro vineyards to your door via their Oz warehouse. The Domaine Fourrey Premier Cru Chablis ‘Cote de Lechet’ 2018 rated 96 points. Just super stuff and at mere mortal prices. If you’re on death row, try it with prawn linguini for one of the best matches ever made!