The Chablis village, that is the central point of the world famous French Chablis wine region, is a tiny and very rural village. At 7 PM all shops close and only one or two cafés are open. It is a small and quiet village but it is home to many top quality wine producers whose bottles can be found in starred restaurants and exclusive wine shops all over the world.
Chablis is always on the itinerary for our Three Classics wine tours. The other two regions on that tour are Champagne as well as Sancerre or Beaune (which of the two varies). So of course we make a stop at some of our winemaker friend in the heart of Chablis when we are there.
Chablis is formally part of Burgundy. But it is further north than the rest of Burgundy, a bit on its own, and has its own very distinct character.
Here in Chablis is where you can find perhaps the most archetypical chardonnay wines. Chardonnay is the only grape permitted in Chablis. They are always very elegant, “steely” some say, with an almost aristocratic feeling to them.
They are classified in four “levels”:
- Petit Chablis – that can often be a very pleasant every-day wine
- Chablis – the archetypical crisp steely chablis
- Premier Cru Chablis – some of the best vineyards, wines that can merit a bit of aging
- Grand Cru Chablis – the top of the top, only 100 hectares (a bit over 200 acres) on a single slope. World class wines.
When we were there in April we visited William Fèvre, one of the best known domains in Chablis. Their “entry level” Chablis is very affordable and is good value. We tasted a range of wines including Premier Crus and two of their Grand Crus: Valmur and Bougros, both from the 2008 vintage. (It’s the chablis grand cru vineyard on the photo below.)
Read the full story of this wine tour visit on BKWine Magazine: Famous wines from William Fèvre in Chablis.
Here are more details on the popular Three French Classic Wine Regions wine tour.
