Wine Terroirs
By Jean-Paul Burias - Photographs: courtesy of the estates, posted on 31 December 2024
Among white Burgundy wines, Chablis clocks up a number of differences in relation to its legendary ‘cousins’ like Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. The appellation draws on its location, terroir and specific climate which lend it its distinctive, appealing persona defined by abundant tension but also a remarkable aromatic spectrum.
Set in the heart of a well-known and widely recognised region worldwide, Chablis wines have carved out an impressive place for themselves despite fierce competition, primarily from fellow established Burgundy names like Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, that are equally as famous, if not more so. The production area is divided into four appellations: Chablis with an average share of 65% of output over five years; Petit Chablis (20%), Chablis Premier Cru (13%) and Grand Cru (1.5%). Its unique climate is often described as semi-continental but is more generally speaking a modified oceanic climate, one of the five major climate types listed in France. Chardonnay is Chablis’ sole varietal and the region expresses the cultivar’s quintessential qualities unless, that is, the best laid plans of its winegrowers go awry due to frost and hail. When the fruit ripens in ideal conditions, it achieves great balance between rich sugars and freshness (acidity). These natural conditions, the expertise and high standards of the winegrowers, honed over many years, culminate in dry white wines showing seductive purity, freshness, finesse and minerality. Their character scales the heights, fuelled by genuinely unique features within the world of Burgundy wines.
This key winery in the Chablis wine region traces its history back to 1850 with Honoré Geoffroy, before Alain Geoffroy took it in a new direction. In the 1960s, he expanded this 50-hectare property – whilst preserving its family-run traditions – and named it after himself. The mayor of Beines for 24 years, he passed away in December 2020 at the age of 76. Cathy Geoffroy then took over the winery and helps produce its award-winning fresh, fruity wines with their impressive mineral stamp alongside Nathalie Geoffroy. “We belong to a group of medium-sized wineries producing good quality wines”, explains Cathy Geoffroy. “Our wines’ unique terroir is what really adds value to them. Chardonnay is one of the appellation’s criteria but the wines are identified by their vineyard site before the grape variety”. The outstanding potential of the soil and expert winemaking techniques lend intense, rich aromatics and appealing minerality to the wines, which are made in stainless steel tanks to fully preserve their freshness and typicity. The grapes from old vines, however, are fermented in oak barrels. The Chablis wines are fresh, fruity, elegant and delicate with a wonderful mineral stamp. They retain the tension and finesse that stem from their vineyard sites which are farmed sustainably. The impactful identity and image of the wines are recognised by their customers and the winery has often been singled out for distinction in international competitions like Chardonnay du Monde and Burgondia, which awards the best wines in Bourgogne Franche-Comté and Beaujolais. Importantly, the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge awarded 92/100 for its 2022 Premier Cru Beauroy recently. The winery also attracts a strong following in a number of countries, including Australia, Germany, Norway and the United States.
Pascal Sailley, export manager at Domaine Alain Geoffroy at Prowein in Germany.
Pascal Sailley and Nathalie Geoffroy from Domaine Alain Geoffroy tasting wines at Wine Paris.
Domaine Alain Geoffroy’s winemaker Cyrille Mignotte in the cellar with Cathy Geoffroy.
Work in the vineyards at Domaine Alain Geoffroy.
Domaine Alain Geoffroy’s vineyards in the autumn.
This iconic Chablis company made a fresh start in 2015. The Bouchard family, its original owners, decided to refocus on estate wines. It sold its Pascal Bouchard trading company to the Bichot group, one of Burgundy’s oldest firms founded in 1831 and renowned for its prestigious vineyards in Meursault, Pommard and Gevrey-Chambertin. The production facilities were modernised to ensure the quality of the wines and promote individual vineyard sites, and a new brand identity was established with more modern liveries. Since the takeover, the changes have gone hand in hand with significant growth which has now positioned the company as a major market player – it distributes 17 Chablis, including three Grands Crus. “We do our utmost to showcase the variety of appellations within Burgundy and aim to promote mineral and fruit characters”, stresses sales manager Fanny Lemettais. “The soils, which comprise alternate formations of marl and marly limestone, the climate and work by our teams shape the typicity of our Chablis, which are very refined and elegant”. The modern, functional, temperature-controlled winery with a capacity of 11,000 hectolitres provides optimum conditions for winemaking and ensures consistent quality all the way through each vintage for both the company’s iconic high-volume labels – Chablis le Classique and Petit Chablis Blancs Cailloux – and the boutique-volume offerings from particular sites and organic wines. Pascal Bouchard wines can be found in the most prestigious establishments and restaurants in nearly forty countries. In France and overseas, its awards list from renowned competitions and reviews in specialist media offer proof of its constantly growing reputation for quality.
Fanny Lemettais, the sales manager at Maison Pascal Bouchard.
Florent Denieuil, the winemaker at Maison Pascal Bouchard.
The magnificent vineyard sites at Maison Pascal Bouchard.
There is a strong bond in the Burgundy village of Maligny. The Lamblin family has been farming vines since 1690 on outstanding Chablis sites. Since 1987, Michel Lamblin and his brother Didier have complemented each other perfectly, seamlessly perpetuating the traditions of their predecessors. In 2003, they were joined by Clément, Didier’s son, freshly graduated in viticulture and oenology from the college in Beaune, followed two years later by Alexandre, Michel’s son. The two new recruits marked the arrival of the twelfth generation at this award-winning institution which regularly wins accolades in national and international competitions. “Burgundy’s king of white grapes offers up very different arrays of flavours”, comments Clément Lamblin. “With its dry white, mineral-accented wines leaning towards citrus fruits, Chablis’ identity rolls out all the assertive qualities of Chardonnay”. The flavours are encapsulated in a full range of wines hinging on its two Grands Crus – the rich, generous, harmonious and lingering Les Clos and Vaudésir – three Premiers Crus, Chablis and a clean Petit Chablis showing abundant freshness.
The team at Domaine Lamblin & Fils with Clément, Didier, Michel and Alexandre Lamblin (left to right).
These small Chardonnay grapes will grow into fine fruit at Domaine Lamblin & Fils.
Chablis wines by Domaine Lamblin & Fils celebrating world white wine day on August 4.
The first tasting of the 2023 vintage at Domaine Lamblin & Fils shows great promise.
Château de Viviers boasts an historic claim to fame. Its wines, which were already recognised and enjoyed, were served at Versailles, most notably at the weddings of Louis XIV and Louis XV. In 1628, the château was rebuilt and its beautiful, classic dressed-stone façade was officially unveiled.
After a considerable hiatus from producing wine lasting nearly 70 years, the winery re-emerged at the start of the 1980s when Bernard and Brigitte Lefébure decided to replant vines with help from Maison Albert Bichot which leased the land. In 2019, after spending 25 years in Brussels, their son Arnould – a marine biologist and the founder of Good Planet Belgium – and his wife Isabelle, an interior designer and ceramist, took over at the helm of the family-owned estate. It was rapidly converted to organic and biodynamic, outlawing pesticides and herbicides and reducing copper and sulphur inputs to an absolute minimum. Driven by their compelling desire to promote sustainability, the couple approaches vine growing as a cycle where biodiversity plays a pivotal role in soil quality, the resilience of the fruit and complexity of the aromas. A small, motivated, six-strong team shares the same vision of excellence where work by hand is invariably preferred to machines. Located in Viviers, whose elevation ranging from 250 to 350 metres above sea level makes it the highest of the 17 villages within the Chablis appellation, its vines bask in a unique climate due to the altitude, providing them slightly cooler temperatures and more intense sunshine for the grapes. “The high fossil density imparts outstanding minerality to our Chablis, but also leads to lower productivity with yields struggling to reach 40 hectolitres per hectare”, explains Arnould Lefébure. “The wines have a distinctive mineral backbone right from the attack. Complex aromas of grapefruit and hazelnut fuse deliciously and end with lingering iodine-like and saline notes”. The four labels – B&B, Sous les plantes, Cota Grand Claude, Cana & Collector – are all numbered with a hand-applied wax seal and each one encapsulates a specific story through its own typicity. “We continue to work as a small, artisanal estate which crafts its wines meticulously in order to make them unique”, adds
Isabelle Lefébure. “All of them are matured at least partially in oak barrels that differ in size and density in order to achieve the right balance, in the same way a chef works with spices. Depending on the vintage, we produce single-vineyard wines or blends and in outstanding years, we release a collector label. Only 100 magnums of it are produced and are illustrated and signed every time by an artist that we have a particular fondness for, bringing together art and winegrowing”. Château de Viviers also offers enthusiasts the chance to sponsor vines, to stay in the chateau’s guest accommodation and enjoy tastings with an educational tour of the vineyards.
Isabelle and Arnould Lefébure, the owners of Château de Viviers.
Arnould Lefébure tasting wines at Château de Viviers.
Ladislas Lefébure sprays the biodyanmic preparation P500 at Château de Viviers.
The Robin family certainly does not do things by half measures. It has owned vineyards since 1836 and now boasts around thirty hectares under vine. In 1991, Thierry Robin took over his father’s farm with his wife Béatrice. “We shouldn’t feel inferior to the renowned fine white wines of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet”, she explains. “We are part of Burgundy and are increasingly sought-after, particularly in export markets. Our incredible vineyard sites and reasonable price tags are real plus points”. The winery’s focus is on excellence which is why it harvests all of its fruit by machine at the end of September to maximise freshness. The wines undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The process produces wines boasting sumptuous complexity and a charming, mineral palate.
Béatrice and Thierry Robin in their vineyard at Domaine Louis Robin.
Béatrice Robin at an exhibition in Arles this year.
Located four kilometres from Chablis, in a village with a population of 140 hidden behind the Grands Crus, Domaine du Colombier produces wines with remarkable craftsmanship. This family-owned property founded in 1887 has been passed down through the generations but was given a new lease of life in 1957 by Guy Mothe who specialised in winemaking. His three sons, Jean-Louis, Thierry and Vincent Mothe have since taken over the 55 hectares under vine. Eighty percent of their clear, vibrant, light dry white wines displaying a trademark yellow hue with subtle white-green tints are exported to forty countries. “We are located on two different soil types”, explains Vincent Mothe. “In the village of Fontenay, the soils are more limestone, which imparts minerality. In Chichée, they are clayey, which instils fruitiness. By making our wines entirely in stainless steel tanks, we preserve their great freshness and can thus stand out from other white Burgundy, which tends to be rounder and oakier. Chablis has a strong identity. It clearly identifies a style of dry white wine whereas the name Burgundy refers to a much broader range and embraces all three colours – whites, reds and rosés”.
Thierry Mothe farms the 55-hectare vineyard at Domaine du Colombier with his brothers Jean-Louis and Vincent.
Vincent Mothe in his vineyard at Domaine du Colombier.
Its name is well-known the world over and this endorsement stems from the high production standards. Chablis’ persona comes from its typicity and its remarkable soils which lend the wines their inimitable character. “This identity was always subsumed into that of Burgundy”, feels Arnould Lefébure, the owner of Château de Viviers. “However, Chablis’ resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s, fuelled by American demand, has shaped one of the most distinctive markers of the French wine industry internationally, alongside Champagne, fine Bordeaux and of course all Burgundy wines”. The region is one of the cradles of Chardonnay which has become one of the best-known and widely planted grape varieties in the world. It plays an essential role in awareness and perception of Chablis, particularly when it comes to establishing its global reputation. With its four appellations, the region offers an extensive range of styles and characters that resonate with every occasion, from a deliciously classy aperitif to a meal of seafood, poultry in a sauce, risotto or creamy cheeses. The promise of such enjoyable occasions provides the showcase for one of France’s flagship wines.
Wine Terroirs
Wine Terroirs
Wine Terroirs