Petit Chablis Chablis Chablis 1 er Cru Chablis grand Cru Château g renouilles

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Petit Chablis Chablis Chablis 1 er Cru Chablis grand Cru Château g renouilles"

Eugenia Lamb
6 years ago
Views:

1 Petit Chablis Chablis Chablis 1 er Cru Chablis grand Cru Château g renouilles

2 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.

3 la chablisienne, since 1923 The story began back in under the leadership of Abbé Balitrand, a number of winemakers decided to join forces to better withstand the economic difficulties of the time. Together, in the heart of the Chablis vineyard in Burgundy, they created a cooperative winery to market their wines. until the mid 1950s, the members of the cooperative delivered their production to La Chablisienne, which was then responsible for creating the assemblages and for sales, mainly to wholesalers. however, La Chablisienne wanted to go much further and create a style of its own. So it was decided that the harvest would be delivered in the form of must, a particularity that has become the trademark of the house and gives it total control over the winemaking processes. There is a constant exchange of information between the winegrowers and the technicians, linking the quality of the must to the parcels that produced the grapes and ensuring the best possible technical guidance. La Chablisienne, in true pioneer spirit, has never ceased to confront a wide range of challenges in areas as diverse as winegrowing and winemaking, human resources and marketing. It is the meticulous work of all those involved that creates wines which constantly improve with the passage of time. -3-

5 half-way BeTween paris And BeAune, chablis is The golden gateway To The wines of BurgundY. The 5,500 hectare vineyard lies on BoTh BAnks of The river serein And includes nearly TwenTY villages. The vineyard The Chablis vineyard is one of the oldest in France. over time, the exceptional reputation of its white wines, produced from Chardonnay grapes, has spread to all four corners of the world. Lying on both banks of the river Serein, the vines of the appellation encompass seventeen villages. The unique character of the wines originates in the predominantly Kimmeridgian soil, its sediments mainly composed of large quantities of small fossilised oysters called ostrea virgula. This exceptional soil, which is found in only a few other places throughout the world, gives the terroir its minerality, finesse, and incomparable crystalline tonality. -5-

6 Le Serein THE CHABLIS VINEYARD ST-FLORENTIN LIGNY-LE-CHÂTEL MALIGNY LIGNORELLES VILLY LA CHAPELLE- VAUPELTEIGNE Beauroy POINCHY L'Homme Mort Fourchaume Vaulorent La colline des grands crus FONTENAY- PRÈS-CHABLIS RAMEAU Berdiot Côte de Vaubarousse FYÉ COLLAN TONNERRE PARIS AUXERRE BEINE Vau Ligneau Vau de Vey MILLY Côte de Léchet Le Serei n CHABLIS Les Lys Vaillons Montmains Vosgros Montée-de- Tonnerre Montde-Milieu CHICHÉE FLEYS Vaucoupin Les Fourneaux BÉRU VIVIERS COURGIS Côte de Jouan Les Beauregards CHEMILLY- SUR-SEREIN Le Serein POILLY-SUR-SEREIN PREHY NORD 0 1 km LYON BOUGROS LES PREUSES VAUDÉSIR CHÂTEAU GRENOUILLES CHÂTEAU GRENOUILLES CHABLIS GRAND CRU CHABLIS PREMIER CRU CHABLIS VALMUR LES CLOS BLANCHOT PETIT CHABLIS THE CHABLIS GRANDS CRUS

7 Chablis A single, unique grape variety, Chardonnay The extraordinary renown of the Chablis wines comes from their unique grape variety: Chardonnay. And it is in Burgundy, its birthplace, where over the centuries its quality has become synonymous with the most flamboyant wines. In the Serein Valley, on the Chablis hillsides, it has developed a perfect harmony with its terroir over the years. A harmony originally imagined by the monks of Cîteaux who founded the Pontigny Abbey back in the 12th century and introduced the ancestor of today s Chardonnay vines. The work of these monks is essential in understanding the wine of today. The lengthy selection of the best terroirs, harvest after harvest, isolating and propagating the best plants, perfecting the most appropriate winegrowing methods and experimenting with different winemaking techniques; such was the immeasurable contribution made by monastic viticulture in Burgundy. And this is exactly what we find today in La Chablisienne. Our terroir The Chablisienne terroirs mirror those of the Chablis vineyard. Predominantly Kimmeridgian, with alternating marls and marl limestone with deposits of small oyster shells, they endow the Chablisienne wines with a great personality, stamped with their characteristic minerality. Precisely located and delimited, each terroir produces unique wines, each with its own character and capacity to evolve and develop. The Petits Chablis are perfect after one to three years, Chablis needs between two and five years according to the cuvée. The Chablis Premiers Crus and the Chablis Grands Crus are wines with real ageing potential, needing five to ten years. The aspect of each parcel is of major importance in defining how each climat (a specific parcel within a vineyard) expresses itself. -7-

9 A legendary wine, a rare wine, a mineral wine, Chablis is above all a great wine inspired by its terroir and by its winegrowers -9-

11 The Chablisienne is working to encourage its producers to move to sustainable methods of production. Working the soil is a priority, as is the plant itself, its selection and quality, and the way it is observed, attentively and meticulously, throughout each season. Together these actions culminate in the choice of an optimal harvest date, parcel by parcel. harvest, the most emblematic time for our profession. An important step in the life of the cooperative and one which is awaited with great impatience every year. heavily symbolic, it enables an initial assessment of the future cuvées. The wine harvest at La Chablisienne reflects a moment of sharing, where solidarity and team-spirit are at the heart of each intense day. Everyone makes their own contribution, leading the grape along the road to success. Even at this early stage, the expert eye has no difficulty in discerning the future vintages. The meticulous care taken by the winegrowers as a whole, all year long, marks the Chablisienne wines with their very unique stamp. -11-

12 Erat autem diritatis eius hoc quoque indicium nec obscurum nec latens, quod ludicris cruentis delectabatu et in circo sex vel septem aliquotiens vetitis certaminibus

13 winemaking The winemaking process is the essential step to revealing the full richness and complexity of the Chablis terroirs. After the harvest, comes the pressing, carried out by the member winegrowers. It is carried out as near as possible to the vines themselves to guarantee the optimal quality of the musts. La Chablisienne then takes over, carrying out the racking and the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. We have the best equipment, ensuring that every nuance and all the depth of the Chablis wines are preserved and revealed. The fermentation and the maturing take place either in thermoregulated stainless steel vats or in 228 litre oak barrels for our selected growths. -13-

14 The range We produce approximately thirty different cuvées for the appellation as a whole, each with its own great personality: seven Grands Crus, thirteen Premiers Crus, Chablis and Petits Chablis and the famous Château Grenouilles, a legendary Chablis wine.

15 -15-

16 petit Chablis This appellation is at the base of the Chablis wine hierarchy. Grown on the plateaux, in a Portlandian clay and limestone soil, the Petits Chablis are lively wines when young, with the aromas of white fleshed fruit. Two or three years after the harvest, they can prove to be mineral and subtly iodized. A key which can be precious in helping enthusiasts unlock the world of Chablis. Chablis The Chablis appellation is the largest of the Chablisian vineyards. Growing on the hillsides on both sides of the river Serein, in the famous Kimmeridgian soil, the Chablis wines are the expression of a terroir which combines freshness, minerality, finesse and complexity. Each cuvée is different, some can be enjoyed young, for their thirst-quenching freshness, certain specific cuvées are aged for three to eight years, and are characterised by greater complexity, minerality and are more richly aromatic.

17 premier cru grand cru Produced from different terroirs, situated on the right-hand or left-hand banks of the Serein, the Chablis Premiers Crus enable you to discover and better understand the great Kimmeridgian terroirs of Chablis. Produced on vines planted predominantly on well-exposed south-west and south-east facing slopes, each wine is unique with its own individual personality. As a result certain Premiers Crus are delicate and mineral, such as montée de Tonnerre or Côte de Léchet, others are softer and more fruity such as Beauroy or floral and fleshy such as Fourchaume. They reach their plenitude six to eight years after harvest. The Chablis Grands Crus are known by wine enthusiasts the world over as the kings of the appellation. Located solely on the right-hand bank of the Serein, they are grown on a total of 103 hectares, with a predominantly south-west exposure, for all terroirs. The Chablis Grands Crus are complete wines, with strong personality, and never cease improving with age. These nectars with their elegant colour and strong nose are particularly racy on the palate, offering a gloriously long finish and a remarkable keeping potential. -17-

19 Once upon a time, there were seven Grands Crus and one Château. Located at the foot of the Grenouilles hillside, in the heart of the Grands Crus, the Château Grenouilles estate is an exceptional property and unique to Chablis. A legend which La Chablisienne inherited in An unbroken estate of 7.2 hectares, superbly exposed on a south-west slope facing the village, Grenouilles is one of the rarest Chablis Grands Crus. From a selection of small parcels of old vines and delicately harvested by hand, Château Grenouilles is a legendary white wine and one of the most glorious expressions of minerality. With exceptional ageing potential, it is a great wine which reveals its true nature with time

20 «Sometimes it seemed as if I had a entire garden on the palate... I felt lucid, joyful, light... The aroma of the wine, more than just the wine itself, penetrated the very depth of my soul... I felt like damp soil drenched with sunshine.» n.d. Cocea -20-

21 Allow time to work its magic, discover a legend To sample a Château Grenouilles which has attained a «certain age» is to lightly touch the inner soul of the great Chablis terroirs. To experience a unique «mineral emotion». On the nose, the aromatic precision is already present. Clean and profound on the palate, presenting a glorious richness derived from the perfect maturity of the grapes. The minerality is barely perceptible. The finish is as yet in its infancy, but the work is in progress... Two or three years after the harvest the aromatic fruitiness of the wine is at its peak. All is more complex, more subtle, the fruit is less exotic, the citrus notes slightly more candied, the minerality is starting to show through! On the palate, the fabric of the wine is starting to become defined... Five years after harvest and the fruit notes gently withdraw leaving a complex bouquet. It has become fleshy on the palate, presenting a subtle paradox between an attractive presence and an important potential for ageing. Eight, ten, fifteen years after harvest, the nose is forthright and pure, intense and complex, with a repertoire of fresh fruit, white flowers, soft spicy notes, citronella, verbena, honey, wax... the sensation is one of minerality and iodine. On the palate it is particularly harmonious, well balanced, remarkably pure, delicate and elegant, with a fabulously long mineral finish. The pallet of aromas is extremely wide, evolving with time and with the seasons. Finally, at its plenitude, long after the harvest for the very great vintages, it is the very essence of Chablis, a perfect balance, a great joy, an unforgettable memory

23 petit chablis chablis 1 er cru chablis grand cru Vibrant Pas si Petit Dame Nature (organic wine) chablis Le Finage La Pierrelée La Sereine Les Vénérables Dame Nature (organic wine) Grande Cuvée Beauroy Côte de Léchet Fourchaume Les Fourneaux Les Lys L Homme Mort Mont de Milieu Montée de Tonnerre Montmains Vaillons Vaulorent Vaucoupin Bougros Blanchot Les Clos Les Preuses Valmur Vaudésir château grenouilles grand cru

24 CHAMPAGNE CRÉATION - REIMS / CRÉDIT PHOTOS : LEIF CARLSSON, MICHEL JOLY, ALAIN PROUST, PHOTOTHÈQUE CHABLISIENNE, CHAMPAGNE CRÉATION 8, Boulevard Pasteur - B.P Chablis - France Tél Fax

CHABLIS, FRANCE. Version 4, 2018

CHABLIS, FRANCE. Version 4, 2018 CHABLIS, FRANCE Version 4, 2018 Vincent Bartement Best White Wine Maker of the Year 2016 La Chablisienne was founded in 1923. It is 1,261 Ha and has 284 growers. Annually it produces 730,000 cases. The