La Chablisienne, Chablis, Burgundy wines

Who are we ?

Since 1923 at Chablis in Burgundy, the meticulous care of the vine-growers working together under the banner of La Chablisienne has given birth to wines whose magnificence is amplified by the passage of time. These wines, coming from a mosaic of "cimats", or vineyard plots, provide a pallet of emotions marked with a truly mineral touch.

Chablis, half way between Paris and Beaune, forms the real gateway to Burgundy ’s treasure-house of wines. The vineyards, lying on both sides of the River Serein, cover 6,800 hectares (some 17,000 acres) in 20 villages. Of the 4,700 hectares in production, La Chablisienne alone represents nearly 25% and produces every one of the Chablis appellations.

The production of the whole vineyard reaches 250 000 hectolitres per annum. Chablis is therefore thefirst producer of white wine in Burgundy. The wines are made from a single grape variety, the Chardonnay which finds in the soil of Chablis the matter for its superb fineness.

Our winery groups nearly 300 winegrowers to produce the great white wines of Chablis. These wines reflect the utmost care our winegrowers devote to the cultivation of their vineyards and the commitment our winemakers bring to revealing the heart and soul of the wines. It is this subtle harmony between the grower in the vineyards, the technical advisor and the winemaker which bestows on our wines their much sought-after distinction.

Chablis Spirit

Minerality is the very gist of Chablis style. For us, this deep sensation is part of the wine complexity and density.

This notion of minerality in wine is difficult to define. It concerns olfactory sensations (flinty aromas), gustatory sensations (freshness) and texture (crystal-clear wine). Inherent to our kimmeridgian subsoil, this mineral sensation is an integral part of our wines. It gives emotions and little by little, sip by sip, it reveals its style. Minerality, sensations, emotions... But let us hand over to David Delaye, the wine maker of La Chablisienne:

"Minerality can concern so many different sensations that it is almost impossible to define. Inside the Chablis vineyard itself, there are many different expressions of minerality... Nevertheless, we can arbitrarily choose two angles to tackle the question:

The mineral aromas. It is, by far, the easiest approach and often the only one proposed. We consider the following aromas as mineral: gun-flint, flint, iodine, chalk, oysters, shellfish... For me one experience illustrates perfectly what is minerality, this is what you feel before a thunderstorm of a hot and dry summer day just when the first big drops of rain are falling down.
Minerality is a tactile sensation. The sensation of minerality is not only a perception of flavours and can't either be reduced to acidity. It structures the mouth and gives it distinction and character. At La Chablisienne, we often use the words "tension" and "energy". Then minerality also evokes a certain form of purity, a crystal-clear appearance of the wine.

We realise quickly that this second angle is very difficult to translate with words. Impressions, perceptions and subjectivity come first making the tasters feel sensations. An example, as you taste the Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent 2002: this wine progresses to ethereal expressions, with a more airy minerality, like sea spray, which gives it energy... The finish is very iodized, thus making the mouth salivate much."

About thirty "crus", with the largest palette of mineral aromas

La Chablisienne is present in the whole vineyard.

In the whole appellation area, we produce every year thirty different "crus" with a strong personality: six Grands Crus, fifteen Premiers Crus, many Chablis and Petit Chablis. Among our Grands Crus there is Château Grenouilles, unique “Château” of the Chablis vineyard. The vinification of the grape juice produced by our wine growers takes place in the cellar, according to the different terroirs. La Chablisienne wines have a strong identity and provide pure emotion, the mineral touch.