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 Chablis wines come only from the Chablis section of Burgundy, France, in the north of Burgundy.
Chablis is a white wine, made from the Chardonnay grape, but there is so much more to Chablis than that.
Chablis vines are grown in a very flinty soil - visitors to the area are often surprised by the rocky quality of this landscape. It is this "Kimmeridgian" limestone that gives Chablis its distinct flavour. The prices of Chablis have been steadily rising in this country due to the fact that the quality of the vintages have been exceptional of late. Also duty and the price of the Euro has affected imports.
Chablis was first "wined" back in the 500s - a monastery was built there with their own local  wine. As the Romans settled in the region after their campaign to conquer Gaul, they also began to introduce wine to the region. When Charlemagne set up a base here, it was very important that wine be offered to visiting guests. By the 1400s Chablis was a well known wine producing region, but during the Middle Ages it was affected by the constant battles for land between warring nobles. Just as it recovered from the troubles, it was hit by the phylloxera troubles that hit just about every other region of the continent. It was set aside as a Appellation d'origine around 1937 - 1938.
Chablis has been going through a planting bloom in the last century. In 1955 there were only 1,360 acres planted with vines. In recent times, that number is closer to 14,000 acres. Chablis has a reputation as a fine wine of distinction not without due cause. The vintages of late have been exceptional.
The four appellations in Chablis are based on the type of land the vines are grown on. These are:
• Chablis Grand Cru: the north bank of the Serein river
• Chablis Premier Cru: south- and west-facing hills
• Chablis: north- and east-facing hills
• Petit Chablis: flat ground
There are only seven Grand Cru vineyards: producing only the best -Les Clos; Blanchots; Bougros; Vaudésir; Valmur; Preuses and Grenouilles.
There are around 40 Premier Crus, with some smaller vineyards falling under the name of a larger group. For example, Chapelot, Pied d'Aloue, and Cote de Brechain all fall under the name 'Montee de Tonnerre'.Â
A Premier Chablis should be aged for around 10 years, and served around 52°F (11°C). Put in the fridge for a round an hour to an hour and a half. Chablis go well with seafood (especially oysters) and light poultry. Try with roasted pork or loin. Chablis are typically light, crisp, fruity, and floral. They have a bit of a steely edge to their flavour and are a dry wine. Chablis is a wine made from Chardonnay and mostly have no ageing in Oak barrels, hence the lighter almost pear like hue about it.
A great wine at any time, Chablis is obviously standing the test of time and seem to be going from strength to strength.
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Chablis