Chardonnay from the northern edge of Burgundy, where the vineyards sit on a seam of fossilised oyster shells left by an ancient sea. William Fevre farms some of the best-placed parcels in the appellation, and the 2020 vintage came from a warm, dry summer that gave the fruit plenty of ripeness without stripping the acidity.
- Chardonnay, the only grape of Chablis.
- Chablis, the northernmost serious white wine region of Burgundy.
- 2020, a warm year with ripe, generous fruit.
- 12.5% alcohol, light body, high acidity.
- Fermented dry, with low tannin and no oak signature.
How it is made
Chablis is Chardonnay grown on Kimmeridgian clay and limestone, a soil packed with the fossils of tiny marine organisms. That soil is the reason the wines taste of stone rather than butter. Unlike the whites of the Côte de Beaune further south, Chablis is typically made in stainless steel, with little or no new oak, so nothing stands between the fruit and the place.
How it tastes
Green apple and citrus on the front, then a flinty, mineral core that runs through to the finish. There is a saline edge to it, the kind of dry, mouth-watering quality that makes the wine feel lean and precise rather than soft. Fresh and supple, with the high acidity holding everything in line.
Good to know
Chablis sits roughly 100 kilometres north of the rest of Burgundy, closer to Champagne than to Beaune. That northerly position means cooler growing seasons and slower ripening, which is exactly what gives the appellation its tension and its cut. The Kimmeridgian subsoil is so distinctive that the name is used by geologists worldwide.
