17 of the Best Wines From Chablis
Let’s clear up one thing from the start: Chablis is made from the Chardonnay grape in the Chablis region of Burgundy in France. This is the only bona fide Chablis. Other wines that use the name are, well, imposters.
Chablis is the northernmost outpost of Burgundy, more than 80 miles from Beaune, the center of the region’s wine trade and the vineyards of the famed Côte de Beaune.
As in most of the rest of Burgundy, Chardonnay is pretty much the only white grape grown in Chablis, while Pinot Noir is cultivated not far away in the neighboring Grand Auxerrois region.
In America, however, Chablis became, in part, a generic name for white wines that was borrowed — stolen, really — by some industrial-sized California wineries generations ago and is still used today. The name was grandfathered in for these wineries but cannot be used for new wines.
The confusion over just what Chablis is has abated but still persists among some. During a visit to Chablis last month and a deep dive into its wines, I heard more than one winemaker observe that some people “say they don’t like Chardonnay but they like Chablis.”
Today, Chablis occupies a unique and important place among white Burgundies, often at prices substantially below its counterparts from more high-profile appellations. In fact, Chablis is one of the best Burgundy values, offering crisp, mineral-driven Chardonnays with moderate alcohol. They deserve more attention.
And that goes for each of the four distinct Chablis appellations: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru, all defined by where they are grown within Chablis, with the Premier and Grand Cru plots, or “climats” as they are called, occupying the best vineyard sites.
Credit: Edward Deitch
With the exception of Petit Chablis, the vines grow in the Jurassic-era Kimmeridgian limestone that largely defines the region and provides the wines’ signature minerality. Along with some clay, it is marked by tiny oyster shell fossils from the sea that once covered the area. It produces unique Chardonnays that are phenomenal partners to fish, shellfish, white meats, and cheeses.
Chablis is among the few places in the world where Chardonnay is grown in Kimmeridgian soil (nearby Champagne and the Loire Valley are among the others). It’s a fact highlighted by Didier Seguier, the winemaker at Domaine William Fèvre, before we taste the winery’s range of Chablis. “When you drink Chablis, you don’t drink Chardonnay,” he says proudly. “You drink Kimmeridgian — and the freshness, the salinity, the minerality from the soil, from the Kimmeridgian.” It could be the region’s mantra.
Credit: Edward Deitch
As for Petit Chablis, the wines are deservedly getting more attention among producers and wine drinkers. With its name, it has suffered from the perception of being a “smaller” or “lesser” wine, while in fact it is just different. The vines grow mainly on the region’s higher slopes or plateaus in Portlandian limestone, which is harder than Kimmeridgian and doesn’t retain water as well.
“The vines ripen very quickly and you have a different Chardonnay,” Sandrine Audegond, a Chablis wine expert, explains as we stand above some of the region’s most famous vineyards. “And that’s why you have lovely fruit, but not the same length and depth or mouthfeel you can have in Chablis, Premier Cru, or Grand Cru.”
And yet, with its affordable prices, absence of oak (but with aging on the lees to balance its acidity), combined with growing consumer interest in leaner wines, Petit Chablis is a wine of the moment — “because it’s so lively. It’s never buttery and fat and oaky,” Audegond says. “It’s not Sauvignon, but it’s almost a Sauvignon-like Chardonnay.”
Where oak is used — in some Chablis and more so in Premier Crus and Grand Crus — it is done so in moderation, typically with only a relatively small part of the wine aged in barrels. “If we use 50, 60, or 70 percent oak for aging, there is too much rouge on the face,” Audegond says with a characteristically French comparison. “It doesn’t fit the style because our wines are lighter.” She continues: “Côte de Beaune makes ‘Romeo’ wines. We make ‘Juliet’ wines. It’s not the same style.”
Paul Espitalié, general manager of Maison Simonnet-Febvre, says over lunch that Chablis is the right wine at the right time. “We are very lucky people are looking for our style of wine,” he says. Adds his colleague, Jean-François Bordet, owner of Domaine Seguinot-Bordet and co-president of the Chablis Commission, “More and more customers want to drink white wine and fresh wine.”
Being the coolest part of Burgundy, some in Chablis are not overly concerned about climate change, at least not yet. Olivier Masmondet, export director of La Chablisienne, the large Chablis cooperative, is frank about it. “Chablis has gained positively from global warming because it makes the wine more accessible,” meaning rounder and richer, he says. Largely gone are the days, he adds, when some Chablis wines were green and overly acidic.
But because of its location in the north of Burgundy, “we manage to keep a freshness” that other parts of Burgundy may now be struggling with, says Lucie Thieblemont, who runs Domaine Charly Nicolle with her husband.
If you look at a map of the region, you’ll see that most of the vineyards – there are about 14,500 acres under vine — are classified as Chablis or Petit Chablis on both sides of the Serein River, followed by 17 main “climats,” or specific vineyard sites, classified as Chablis Premier Cru and a mere seven as Grand Cru, all in one small area on the right bank of the river.
While prices of Chablis have increased in recent years, they have not done so as much as wines from the Côte de Beaune, especially at the Premier and Grand Cru levels. That affordability is something consumers should cheer about as more of them discover, or rediscover, this important yet still under-the-radar corner of Burgundy.
Because of their availability and more modest prices, I’ve focused on Chablis in the list below, with a few examples of the Premier and Grand Cru wines and Petit Chablis.
Here are 17 of the best wines from Chablis:
Domaine Bernard Defaix Petit Chablis 2023
“Our Bourgogne is the Petit Chablis,” says Hélène Jaeger-Defaix, referring to the “Bourgogne” appellation that is the base-model Chardonnay for many producers in the rest of Burgundy. At $20 or so, her Petit Chablis is a real value for which, she says, “you don’t have to sell your house to buy a case.” The 2023 is citrusy with a mint touch and chalky minerality. Also worth trying: the 2023 Chablis, which is also widely available.
Price: $20
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Domaine Jolly et Fils Petit Chablis 2023
This wine is well balanced with a roundness that is unusual for a Petit Chablis. Tropical fruit aromas are followed by notes of ripe white peach, Meyer lemon, and a touch of cream on the palate. “You have to bring in great grapes,” says Carine Jolly, the co-owner. The quality is evident in the domaine’s Petit Chablis and Chablis.
Price: $26
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Domaine Garnier et Fils Chablis 2023
Brothers Jérôme and Xavier Garnier are the first generation of their family to bottle their wines instead of selling grapes to negoçiants. The domaine uses organic methods and Jérôme says the brothers prefer aging in very large wooden tanks, which lets the wines “continue to be alive” and better reflect the terroir. Their excellent Chablis has a flinty nose followed by green apple, lemon-lime, and green olive notes.
Price: $36
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Domaine Ellevin Chablis 2023
There’s a nice richness to this Chablis that opens with aromas of wet stone, grapefruit, and stone fruits. Floral and herbal notes emerge along with a saline touch on the long finish. A classic Chablis.
Price: $35
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Roland Lavantureux Chablis ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2022
A hint of flinty wet stone is among the aromas in this layered and complex wine, infusing notes of pineapple, orange, grapefruit, and vanilla that continue on the palate. The old-vine Chardonnay plants are from 64 to 68 years old. There’s a wonderful saline quality on the finish.
Price: $40
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Domaine Charly Nicolle Chablis ‘Per Aspera’ 2023
This wine is a blend of grapes from many Chablis parcels and shows floral, citrus, and stone fruit aromas and flavors. Mediterranean herbs and flinty minerality make it all the more interesting. It’s also a great value. (The ‘22 vintage is currently in stores.)
Price: $26
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Domaine Laroche Chablis ‘Saint-Martin” 2023
There’s a lovely elegance to this Chablis, the historic domaine’s flagship wine, which is aged in both stainless steel and large oak casks. Apricot and white peach notes are accented by minerals, some saltiness, and a touch of cream on the finish.
Price: $30
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Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 2023
Moreau is known for its Grand Cru wines — it is the largest holder of Grand Cru vineyards in Chablis — but its village-level Chablis, made from purchased grapes, is a classic wine and consistent winner. With lively acidity and minerality framing white peach, grapefruit, and herbal notes, the wine is vinified in stainless-steel tanks without exposure to oak.
Price: $40
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La Chablisienne Chablis ‘La Sereine’ 2020
La Chablisienne, the century-old, large cooperative winery right in the town of Chablis, draws on production from around 200 growers to make its wines. Among them is this excellent-value Chablis with notes of apricot, herbs, almond, and a flinty minerality.
Price: $23
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Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis ‘Tête d’Or’ 2023
This wine is a blend of grapes from the domaine’s best plots in the Chablis appellation — next to Premier and Grand Cru plots — matured for 15 months in stainless-steel vats and oak barrels. Aromas of white peach and citrus, with the oak seamlessly woven into the fruit. Complex with a rich mouthfeel, befitting what winemaker Olivier Bailly calls the “iconic cuvée for the domaine.”
Price: $60
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Roland Lavantureux Chablis Premier Cru ‘Vau de Vey’ 2022
Another first-class value from Lavantureux, this well-priced Premier Cru from the cooler Vau de Vey climat, which lies on the left bank of the Serein River, is very fresh with a nice balance of stone fruit aromas and flavors, chalky minerality, and a touch of lime on the finish.
Price: $53
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Domaine Laroche Premier Cru ‘Les Vaillons’ 2023
This is a gorgeous old-vine Chablis from the cooler Les Vaillons climat, with aromas and flavors of spicy stone fruit, most prominently apricot, along with a vanilla layer and notable salinity. Ninety percent of the wine was aged in French oak barrels and 10 percent in stainless steel.
Price: $80
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Château de Maligny Chablis ‘Vau de Vey’ 2023
From the biggest producer in Chablis, this Premier Cru is an under-$40 bargain with concentrated fruit, including pear and melon, along with lots of citrus and the classic minerality of the region. Maligny is owned by the Durup family, which has been cultivating vines in Chablis for 15 generations.
Price: $35
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Domaine William Fèvre Premier Cru ‘Les Lys’ 2022
Les Lys is the only Premier Cru climat facing north, which helps the wine maintain wonderful freshness at the same time it shows a nice richness. The wine demonstrates generous fruit aromas and flavors, including stone fruit and pineapple, punctuated by saline and mineral notes.
Price: $81
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Julien Brocard Chablis Premier Cru ‘Montée de Tonnerre’ 2022
Julien Brocard, who runs the large Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard started by his father in 1973, also produces a line of superb biodynamic wines under his own name. This one, from the Montée de Tonnerre climat, is at once fresh and rich with ripe green apple and citrus aromas that follow onto the palate. There’s lots of minerality as well.
Price: $58
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Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin Chablis Grand Cru ‘Grenouilles’ 2022
The Droin family has been involved with winemaking in Chablis for more than 400 years, and today, the domaine is among the benchmark producers in the region. Grenouilles is the smallest of the Grand Cru climats, at less than 25 acres, and Droin’s example is full of character and will evolve for years. A lovely, subtle nose shows pear and apricot notes that carry over to the palate, along with minerals and refreshing acidity. Half the wine is aged in stainless steel and half in French oak barrels, 20 percent of them new. This is elegance in a bottle.
Price: $115
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Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru ‘Les Preuses’ 2022
From the fabled Les Preuses Grand Cru climat, a wonderful blend of ripe fruit and minerality. Though it drinks well now, this is a wine you can hold for years. Beautifully balanced, it shows subtle stone fruit, muted citrus, and almond notes. Winemaker Didier Seguier says, “We don’t make winemaker wine, we make terroir wine.” It shows.
Price: $130
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Next up: The Little-Known Pinot Noirs of Burgundy’s North
The article 17 of the Best Wines From Chablis appeared first on VinePair.