Petit Chablis • Chablis • Chablis 1 er Cru • Chablis...
Transcript of Petit Chablis • Chablis • Chablis 1 er Cru • Chablis...
P e t i t C h a b l i s • C h a b l i s • C h a b l i s 1 e r C r u • C h a b l i s g r a n d C r u • C h â t e a u g r e n o u i l l e s
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.
petit
chablis
Vibrant
Pas si Petit
Dame Nature (organic wine)
chablis
Le Finage
La Pierrelée
La Sereine
Les Vénérables
Dame Nature (organic wine)
chablis
1er crU
Grande Cuvée
Beauroy
Côte de Léchet
Fourchaume
Les Fourneaux
Les Lys
L’Homme Mort
Mont de Milieu
Montée de Tonnerre
Montmains
Vaillons
Vaulorent
Vaucoupin
chablis
grand crU
Bougros
Blanchot
Les Clos
Les Preuses
Valmur
Vaudésir
châteaU
grenoUilles
grand crU
lA chABlisienne,since 1923
The story began back in 1923. under the leadership of Abbé Balitrand, a number of winemakers decided to join forces to better withstand the economic diffi culties 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.
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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, fi nesse, and incomparable crystalline tonality.
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.
Côte de Vaubarousse
eLniereS
Le Serein
Le
Ser
ein
NORD
1 km0
La colline desgrands crus
CHABLIS
CHICHÉE
FLEYS
BÉRU
CHEMILLY-SUR-SEREIN
FONTENAY-PRÈS-CHABLIS
RAMEAU
COLLAN
BEINE
COURGIS
PREHY
VILLY
MALIGNY
LIGNORELLES
LA CHAPELLE-VAUPELTEIGNE
POINCHY
LIGNY-LE-CHÂTEL
ST-FLORENTIN
POILLY-SUR-SEREIN
VIVIERS
FYÉ
MILLY
TONNERRE
AUXERRE
PARIS
LYON
L'HommeMort
Fourchaume
Beauroy
Côte de Léchet Montée-de-
Tonnerre
Côte de Vaubarousse
Berdiot
Mont-de-Milieu
Vaucoupin
Vosgros
Les Fourneaux
Vaulorent
Les Lys
Vaillons
Côte de Jouan
Les Beauregards
Mon
tmai
ns
Vau
Lign
eau
Vau
de V
ey
THE CHABLIS VINEYARD
CHABLIS GRAND CRU
CHABLIS PREMIER CRU
CHÂTEAU GRENOUILLES
CHABLIS
PETIT CHABLIS
THE CHABLIS GRANDS CRUS
CHÂTEAU
LES PREUSES
VAUDÉSIR
VALMUR
LES CLOSBLANCHOT
BOUGROS
GRENOUILLES
ChablisA 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 terroirThe 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.
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A l e g e n d a r y w i n e ,
a r a r e w i n e ,
a m i n e r a l w i n e ,
C h a b l i s i s a b o v e a l l
a g r e a t w i n e i n s p i r e d
b y i t s t e r r o i r a n d
b y i t s w i n e g r o w e r s
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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 refl ects 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 diffi culty 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.
ErAT AuTEm
dIrITATIS EIuS
hoC quoquE
IndICIum nEC
oBSCurum
nEC LATEnS,
quod LudICrIS
CruEnTIS
dELECTABATu
ET In CIrCo SEx
VEL SEPTEm
ALIquoTIEnS
VETITIS CErTA-
mInIBuS
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.
winemAking
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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.
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.
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.
petit Chablis
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.
premier cru
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.
grAnd cru
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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 2003. 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...
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«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
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...
Allow Time To work iTs mAgic,
discover A legend
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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.
petit
chablis
Vibrant
Pas si Petit
Dame Nature (organic wine)
chablis
Le Finage
La Pierrelée
La Sereine
Les Vénérables
Dame Nature (organic wine)
chablis
1er crU
Grande Cuvée
Beauroy
Côte de Léchet
Fourchaume
Les Fourneaux
Les Lys
L’Homme Mort
Mont de Milieu
Montée de Tonnerre
Montmains
Vaillons
Vaulorent
Vaucoupin
chablis
grand crU
Bougros
Blanchot
Les Clos
Les Preuses
Valmur
Vaudésir
châteaU
grenoUilles
grand crU