Frostdamage

The beautiful images of fire pits in the vineyards at night around April look like fairy tales, but they are a necessity. Chablis is one of the world's wine regions that suffers most from frost in the early growing season. Well into May, winegrowers are aware that late frosts can cause serious damage to the shoots and buds of the vines and can decimate harvests.

Premier Cru & Grand Cru

In the Middle Ages, monasteries divided vineyards into different appellations, which later became the basis for the appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system. The monks used the Grand Cru designation for the very best vineyards and Premier Cru for the next best vineyards, based on the location of the vineyards, the soil composition and the climate in the specific vineyard. Chablis now has 47 separate climats that can be mentioned on the label, 40 of which are classified as Chablis Premier Cru and 7 as Chablis Grand Cru.

The Grand Cru vineyards are all located on the right bank of the Serein river. The Chablis Premier Cru vineyards are located on both sides of the river, 24 on the left bank and 16 on the right bank. The soil composition of both Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards consists of the famous Kimmerigde and they all have a more or less southern location. The best plots are located halfway up the slopes. Here the soil is deeper than at the top of the hill and the vines are better protected from frost than at the bottom of the hill. In addition, the vines benefit from the best drainage here. The Premier Cru wines have a good ageing potential and are extremely affordable by Burgundy standards. This makes wines such as Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons or Chablis 1er Cru Les Forets from Henri Costal and Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume from Domaine Roland Lavantureux an ideal investment for the wine cellar. The Grand Crus are truly exceptional. Please let us know if you would like to subscribe to Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir from Domaine Roland Lavantureux.

Recognizable characteristics of Chablis

In the AOC Chablis, there is only room for Chardonnay. In addition to Chardonnay Where in the Côte d’Or wood maturation seems to be an essential part of the wine, Chablis is basically characterized by a pure style without wood maturation. Here, the winemakers want to let the aromas of minerals and flint speak as an interpretation of the unique terroir. Too many wood influences would mask these aromas. Fermentation and maturation of Chablis AOC is therefore mainly in stainless steel tanks. Grand Crus and Premier Crus are basically more weighty and complex. Here, fermentation and maturation on oak is often applied, although the wood influences will often be supportive. Just outside Chablis, in the southwest, lie the vineyards of Irancy planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and the vineyards of St-Bris for Sauvignon Blanc. East of Chablis lie the vineyards of Tonnerre, planted with Chardonnay and Epineuil for Pinot Noir only. Domaine Roland Lavantureux has several properties here and produces a seductive Bourgogne Tonnerre and a phenomenal Bourgogne Epinieul Les Fauconniers.