Day 11
Today was the day for Chablis, the home of Chardonnay – perfect “Chardies” that is! The drive there this morning was swift and the expectation was immense. This is one of those places in the wine world that has been calling my name for years. And finally today I made it here…
It was an action packed day with four big visits and the number of wines tasted exceeding 30. What a day at the office. But again a learning school. The big difference in the town or appellation of Chablis is the site exposure. The appellation is divided into many small communes as they are called in France. And these combined yield petite Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premiere Cru and Chablis Grand Cru – in the order of ranking. The distinction between them or perhaps the Premiere vs the Grand Cru is that the first has more south-easterly exposure where the latter has more of a south-westerly exposure giving it more sun in the afternoon. These demarcations lend a very unique yet typical Chablis character to each wine. Delicate, elegant and a lot of finesse. Slight hints of citrus and orange peel, smoky aromas depending on the barrel policy of the proprietor, some chalky and the ever presences of those mineral character. In the mouth it simply keeps on going forever and the supple roundness is well balanced. Unlike the “Chardies” of the world that are heavy, over-wooded and smells like burnt rubber, these Chablis wines puts the whole A-B-C (Anything But Chardonnay) theory to bed!
Our first visit was to Domaine Long-Depaquit. This elegant and stylish Domaine is one of the bigger and more expensive buys in Chablis. But it was a good start to what would turn out to be another exceptional day for our palates. We tasted the four different levels of Chablis and the lady was very helpful to point out the parcels and vineyards on her big map on the wall.
Second stop was a home-run hit….out the park. We stopped at Domaine Servin. At first sight it looked like a cooperative set-up and we were a bit sceptic. But it soon turned into a real treat with us tasting over 10 different wines with variation in origin, soil and micro-climate. It was again a unique experience. Similar to what we had in Sancerre the day before. And the lady serving us was extremely friendly and helpful – added bonus.
Third stop was at a small village a kilometre or so to the east of Chablis. Here we visited a small family run cellar with wines that vary slightly from the main Chablis appellation. It was a good comparison to make and to better understand the influence of micro-climatic effects accompanied by the variation in soil (I refuse to use the T word. Yes = T_E_R_R_I_O_R). And despite our host being a bit people-shy, he gave us a visit to his vineyards to explain some of the finer arts of making the perfect Chablis at Domaine Jean Pierre Grossot.
Last stop was a village to the west of Chablis this time called St Brix le Vineu. Here we visited Domaine Bersan & Fils. But we nicknamed it “the haunted house”. Why? For the simple reason that on arrival the hostess guided us down a number of slippery and slimy stairs leading into what seemed like the vino-abyss. This cellar was built in the 12th century and comprises of underground tunnels that is worse than any maze on earth. Small little underground alleys and pathways, stacked with bottles covered with mould and fungus from the 17th century!!! It was scary, but at the same time a fabulous experience. To be honest I can not remember the wines much because I kept looking over my shoulder for a monster that wanted to devour me…
Today was the day for Chablis, the home of Chardonnay – perfect “Chardies” that is! The drive there this morning was swift and the expectation was immense. This is one of those places in the wine world that has been calling my name for years. And finally today I made it here…
It was an action packed day with four big visits and the number of wines tasted exceeding 30. What a day at the office. But again a learning school. The big difference in the town or appellation of Chablis is the site exposure. The appellation is divided into many small communes as they are called in France. And these combined yield petite Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premiere Cru and Chablis Grand Cru – in the order of ranking. The distinction between them or perhaps the Premiere vs the Grand Cru is that the first has more south-easterly exposure where the latter has more of a south-westerly exposure giving it more sun in the afternoon. These demarcations lend a very unique yet typical Chablis character to each wine. Delicate, elegant and a lot of finesse. Slight hints of citrus and orange peel, smoky aromas depending on the barrel policy of the proprietor, some chalky and the ever presences of those mineral character. In the mouth it simply keeps on going forever and the supple roundness is well balanced. Unlike the “Chardies” of the world that are heavy, over-wooded and smells like burnt rubber, these Chablis wines puts the whole A-B-C (Anything But Chardonnay) theory to bed!
Our first visit was to Domaine Long-Depaquit. This elegant and stylish Domaine is one of the bigger and more expensive buys in Chablis. But it was a good start to what would turn out to be another exceptional day for our palates. We tasted the four different levels of Chablis and the lady was very helpful to point out the parcels and vineyards on her big map on the wall.
Second stop was a home-run hit….out the park. We stopped at Domaine Servin. At first sight it looked like a cooperative set-up and we were a bit sceptic. But it soon turned into a real treat with us tasting over 10 different wines with variation in origin, soil and micro-climate. It was again a unique experience. Similar to what we had in Sancerre the day before. And the lady serving us was extremely friendly and helpful – added bonus.
Third stop was at a small village a kilometre or so to the east of Chablis. Here we visited a small family run cellar with wines that vary slightly from the main Chablis appellation. It was a good comparison to make and to better understand the influence of micro-climatic effects accompanied by the variation in soil (I refuse to use the T word. Yes = T_E_R_R_I_O_R). And despite our host being a bit people-shy, he gave us a visit to his vineyards to explain some of the finer arts of making the perfect Chablis at Domaine Jean Pierre Grossot.
Last stop was a village to the west of Chablis this time called St Brix le Vineu. Here we visited Domaine Bersan & Fils. But we nicknamed it “the haunted house”. Why? For the simple reason that on arrival the hostess guided us down a number of slippery and slimy stairs leading into what seemed like the vino-abyss. This cellar was built in the 12th century and comprises of underground tunnels that is worse than any maze on earth. Small little underground alleys and pathways, stacked with bottles covered with mould and fungus from the 17th century!!! It was scary, but at the same time a fabulous experience. To be honest I can not remember the wines much because I kept looking over my shoulder for a monster that wanted to devour me…
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