EXCEPTIONAL WHITE BOURGOGNE WINES
Bourgogne white wines of outstanding quality, the wines of Chablis are made from one single varietal: Chardonnay. They are sub-divided into four appellations:
These are identified by precisely delimited production zones, and are subject to strict production regulations. Logically, the higher up the hierarchy, the tighter these regulations.
Chablis wines are dry white wines which are characterized by their purity, crispness, sophistication and minerality. The Chardonnay varietal gives results in Chablis unlike anywhere else. It draws its personality and character from a subsoil that is 150 million years old, and ripens in ideal conditions, in a semi-continental climate, which allow it to attain a good balance between sugar levels and acidity.
Today, the area planted in Chablis is about 5,800ha. In 1955, after the phylloxera crisis in the 19th century which ravaged France's vineyards, then two world wars, Chablis covered no more than 550ha of vine. Nonetheless, not all the appellation's territory is planted as yet: the delimited zone comprises 6,800ha spreading along the valley of the Serein, the river which runs through the wine region from south to north before flowing into the Yonne.
The volumes produced have changed in accordance with the increase in area cultivated, with minor variations due to climatic vagaries. Between 2019 and 2023, the harvest amounted to slightly over 298 792hl, the equivalent of 39,8 million bottles (average 5 years : 2019-2023).
