Wine on the Radio - July 21, 2003      Listen

Chablis                                     Recommendations

When you hear Chablis, what do you think of?

Most often we know Chablis as an inexpensive jug wine, but that's not the real Chablis.   Real Chablis is from . . . well, Chablis.

And the one thing to remember is that those jug wines aren't real Chablis.

Chablis is a town in the Burgundy region of France and real Chablis is 100 percent Chardonnay that's usually more delicate than Chardonnays you're used to.   The weather in Chablis is nearly the coolest Chardonnay can take so the wine tends to be leaner and the fruitiness more subtle

The chalky soil gives them a flinty quality.   That and the zing of acidity means Chablis marries well with soft, rich cheeses and flavorful seafoods.

Here's another difference . . . with a few exceptions, most real Chablis don't have much oak flavor. So they show the Chardonnay fruit more directly.

Real Chablis will definitely give you a different-from-everyday chardonnay experience.

Pop the cork™.

Some Chablis Choices. All Prices Approximate

Dom. Leflaive 2000 Chablis $20
Burgundy , France

Jean-Paul Droin 2001 Vaillons Chablis 1er Cru $25
Burgundy , France
Winemaker's Notes
A soft, very aromatic, fresh fruity wine

Joseph Drouhin 1999 Domaine de Vaudon Chablis $20
Burgundy , France
Winemaker's Notes
Domaine de Vaudon is a Chablis of great elegance and finesse

William Fevre 2000 Montmains Cru Chablis $30
Burgundy , France
Winemaker's Notes
The bouquet shows freshness with aromatic notes of flowers and minerals

1999 Ch. de Maligny Chablis "Vieilles Vignes" $18
Aromas of white flowers, flint, minerals and stone

2000 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chablis $18
The color of Chablis is pale straw with green tinges

2000 Dom. Servin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos $50
WS 90 points