Chablis - White Burgundy!

Chablis  It is hard to find a great value in Burgundy these days, but you can always count on Chablis to offer stunning wines that won't break the bank. Located almost 60 miles North, Northwest of the Cote D'Or, the heart of Burgundy, Chablis offers some of the most precise and exquisite examples of Chardonnay in the market today... Click to Sign up for the Chablis Class on January 28th.


Chablis wines are made in a style rather different from those produced elsewhere in Burgundy. They are drier and fresher, rather than more weighty and richly flavored. Unlike typical Burgundian white wines, which are barrel fermented, Chablis is usually entirely free of any oak influence. Very few Chablis producers use oak barrels in their winemaking and the exceptions are restricted to the higher-quality wines, whose extra complexity and depth mean that the wines are not overpowered by oak flavors. The vineyards of Chablis are classified into four tiers of quality. Starting from the top, they are: Chablis Grand Cru, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis. Wines which conform to the general Chablis appellation laws may claim the classification held by the vineyard where they were grown.

The appellation AOC Chablis is the most prolific and geographically widespread of the four classifications. It was created in 1938 at the same time as the Chablis Grand Cru appellation –to protect the Chablis name, which was being used around the world to describe wines bearing little resemblance to the real Chablis. Today, all wines carrying the Chablis title are dry whites made exclusively from Chardonnay. They must be produced from vineyards in a specifically designated area surrounding Chablis town and its nearby villages.

Chablis Premier Cru is not a distinct appellation like the other three classifications, but rather a quality sub-division of the standard AOC Chablis title. Its geographical coverage is significantly larger than that of Chablis Grand Cru. There are 40 climats (vineyard sites) around Chablis which are deemed worthy of the Premier Cru title, and these are further subdivided into roughly 80 specific vineyards. The wines produced under this title are made according to quality controls that are halfway between those of the Chablis and Grand Cru Chablis appellations.

Chablis Grand Cru wines are produced from just 250 acres (100ha) of vineyards planted on gentle south-west-facing slopes at the eastern edge of the town. There are seven named Grand Cru climats. Running from north to south along the Serein river they are:Preuses, Bougros, Vaudesir, Grenouilles, Valmur, Les Clos and Blanchot. Wines claiming the Grand Cru title are made under stringent regulations; the maximum permitted yieldis lower than for standard Chablis, and the minimum potential alcohol one degree higher. Chablis Grand Cru wines respond well to bottle ageing for between 10 and 15 years.



2013 Christian Moreau Chablis Les Clos....$99.99
This wine has a rich, fat, almost buttery character. Certainly the acidity is there, although it has a warm, summer feel. The structure typical of Les Clos is all there as well, giving concentration and density. At the end spice goes with the extreme freshness of the citrus aftertaste. Drink from 2020.
Rated 95/100 The Wine Enthusiast

2013 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru...$119.99
This wine has a rich, fat, almost buttery character. Certainly the acidity is there, although it has a warm, summer feel. The structure typical of Les Clos is all there as well, giving concentration and density. At the end spice goes with the extreme freshness of the citrus aftertaste. Drink from 2020.
Rated 93-96/100 Burghound

Rated 96/100 Wine Enthusiast

2013 William Fevre Chablis Bougros Cotes Bougerots...$104.99
The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots has a very refined, intense bouquet with cold wet stone, green apples, moorland stream aromas that are nicely defined. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, tensile and steely in the mouth with a keen line of citric acidity, a gentle crescendo here to a lovely apricot-tinged finish. This is a level up from the regular Bougros this year. Very fine
Rated 95/100 The Wine Advocate

Rated 93-95/100 Burghound

2013 Duplessis Chablis Montmains 1er Cru...$32.99
The 2013 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains, which lies on the border with Fôret, has an understated but very precise bouquet with flint and light green apple scents. There is an airy intensity to this Montmains. The palate is crisp and fresh with a keen line of acidity, precise and persistent in the mouth. There is also plenty of salinity toward the finish, completing what is an excellent Montmains, especially within the context of the vintage.
Rated 92/100 The Wine Advocate

2012 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Les Clos...$82.99
The 2012 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos comes from two parcels that together make 1.3 hectares that were planted in 1954 and 1969. It has a very focused nose with hints of dandelion, bruised apple, orange rind and hazelnut, every swirl revealing another facet. The palate is very well-balanced with well-judged acidity, a little higher than Drouhin’s other grand crus. It is interwoven through the notes of citrus fruit, smoke and hazelnut. This is very cohesive, those (Saar) Riesling-like, petrol-like-notes surfacing toward the finish. Excellent. Drink 2017-2030.
Rated 93/100 The Wine Advocate

2012 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru...$74.99
The 2012 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir comes from 2 parcels that altogether make 1.5 hectares, one with a southwest exposure in the middle of the slope and the other consisting of very old vines at the top of the slope. It has a very well-defined, mineral-laden bouquet with hints of lemon curd, fresh lime, and hints of the sea (a salty tang that emerges with time). The palate is well-balanced, a little more rounded than the premier cru. It sports very good weight with subtle peach and nectarine notes that combine on the pure and appealing finish. Gorgeous! Drink 2016-2026.
Rated 94/100 The Wine Advocate