Chablis Wine

A Premier Chablis should be aged for around 10 years, and served around 52°F (11°C). Chablis go well with seafood (especially oysters) and light poultry. Chablis are typically light, crisp, fruity, and floral. They have a bit of a steely edge to their flavor.

Midway between Paris and Dijon lies Chablis, a name so evocative of white wine excellence that it has been borrowed by vineyards all over the world to describe products which have nothing in common with the real thing except perhaps their colour.
Fruit of the Chardonnay grape and the limestone rich slopes of the river Serein valley, Chablis is unique. Its bouquet and flavour tantalise the palate and challenge description: it is steely but smooth, its flinty, mineral hardness softened by traces of fruit and flowers. In colour it is yellow edged with a flicker of green, the colours fusing with age (from three to ten years) as the wine's full richness and vigour emerge.

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.
Chablis 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 flavor.

Chablis was first "wined" back in the 500s - a monestary was built there, and invading Romans brought along wine whereever they went. 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 region, but it shortly fell to war and fighting in the 1600s. Just as it recovered from these, 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.

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Burgundy Region

Covering some 250 kilometres, from Auxerre to the south of Macon, the Burgundy wine region divides into five distinct areas: Chablis, the Cote de Nuits, and the Cote de Beaune, (together known as the Cote d'Or); the Cote Chalonnaise and the Maconnais. The vines cover about 22,000 hectares. Burgundy uses only a few grape varieties for its AOC wines: Chardonnay and Aligote for white wines, Pinot Noir for red wines and Gamay for some red Macon.

The wines produced in these areas are distinctly different from one another, and there are further differences within each area , but all good Burgundy shares certain characteristics, the red is smooth and soft, but charged with lingering scent and flavour - traits most powerfully displayed by Chablis, Burgundy's best known white wine.

While the differences between Burgundies are most enjoyably explored glass in hand, they can also be studied on paper, in form of the Burgundy Appellation Controlee classifications. These were laid down over fifty years ago and provide the strict quality and quantity controls which underpin Burgundy's reputation. There are over one hundred different appellations within the Burgundy region, and they fall into four categories. The highest is 'Grand Cru' followed by 'Premier Cru', the village appellations and the broader regional or generic appellations.

Of the thirty eight Grand Crus, seven are in Chablis and the rest in the Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune, Grand Crus do not normally carry the name of the 'commune' or parish, they come from. The simple, single vineyard (or if the wine comes from more than one vineyard, the commune name followed by the words 'Premier Cru').

The third rank, the village appellations, features the commune name. A vineyard name is permitted only if printed in letters much smaller than the name of the commune.

Finally there are the lesser vineyards, which may lie within the famous communes, but whose wine will receive one of the general classifications: Bourgogne, Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains, Bourgogne Aligote... The Burgundy appellation regulations are so specific because of the myriad local variations in soil and exposure to the elements, These variations are reflected in the everyday language of the vineyard; individual fields are known as 'climats', and the particular climate of a great vineyard - the hours of sun it receives, the protection it has from the wind, the altitude and slope of the ground as well as its composition - can explain its superiority over a neighbouring vineyard using the same vine stock and production techniques.

As well as place names, the appellation regulations specify grape varieties (principally Pinot Noir for red and Chardonnay for white), production quantities and sugar levels at harvest time. Overall, equal quantities of red and white are produced, although of course the ratio varies from one area to another: in Chablis for example, only white wine is made, while in the Cote de Nuits virtually all the wine is red.

As for Bugundy's reputation for producing rare and expensive wines, the fact is that of every hundred, only three will be 'Grand Cru' and ten 'Premier Cru' - the most exclusive categories. This leaves a further eighty seven bottles please every palate and every pocket. Thirty five will fall into the village appellation class and the other fifty-two will be regional wines such as Bourgogne rouge, Macon or Cremant de Bourgogne, a sparkling wine made by the same method and using the same grape varieties as Champagne. Given such a choice, and given the assurance of the strictest quality controls at every level, there is absolutely no reason why everone shouldn't enjoy Burgundy.

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Cote D'Or: Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune

The Cote d'Or is the heart of Burgundy a thirty mile broadening band of south east facing slopes with the market town of Beaune as its capital. Eight villages in the north of the area make up the Cote de Nuits. Twenty villages in the south form the Cote de Beaune.

The Cote de Nuits is famed throughout the world for its red wine. The combination of the Pinot Noir grape and the mineral - rich, chalky clay of the steep slopes is a magical one: the best wines balance intense scent and flavour with perfect, velvet smoothness. The area also produces a small amount of Chardonnay white, which is similar in character to the red; robust and full of flavour but also deliciously smooth.

The Cote de Beaune covers twice the area of the Cote de Nuits some seven and a half thousand acres. It is renowned for both its red and white wines. The reds are generally softer and more delicate than the Cote de Nuits, but with no loss of the rich Burgundy flavour and perfume.
The whites are worthy of a study in themselves. Thanks to their fermentation in small oak barrels, otherwise impossible nuances of flavour are introduced. The results can be astonishing: wines which are light and dry but also loaded with fresh fruit and flavour.

The Côte d'Or has two primary sections. First, the northerly Côte de Nuits, which grows mainly Pinot Noir and other red grapes. This half is named for the village Nuits-Saint-Georges, and is a mere one mile by 12 miles.

Second, the southerly Côte de Beaune, which while well known for its whites, actually grows both Chardonnay and red grapes. The land in the Cote is mostly limestone, which produces high quality wines. One of the most famous villages in the Côte de Beaune is Pommard, known for its heavy, full-bodied reds.

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Cote Chalonnaise

The Cote Chalonnaise
Between the Cote de Beaune and the Maconnais, the regular slopes of the Cote d'Or give way to a jumble of hills containing the four villages of the Cote Chalonnaise.
As well as firm, tasty Pinot Noir reds and brisk clean Chardonnay white, a local speciality is white wine made from the Aligote grape - hence the unusual Bourgogne Aligote de Bouzeron appellation, granted to the village in 1979.
The area also produces plenty of good Bourgogne Rouge and some excellent Cremant de Bourgogne..

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Maconnaise

The Maconnais extends southwards to the edge of the Beaujolais region. It is a large, sprawling area which produces reliable, uncomplicated whites from the Chardonnay and refreshing, fruity reds from the Gamay and Pinot Noir grapes. Wine made from the Gamay and Pinot Noir together is called Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains, Gamay on its own is sold as Macon Rouge, and Pinot Noir as Bourgogne Rouge.

The region's reputation for white wine has been boosted by the success of Pouilly Fusse a wine firmly in the steely, full-bodied Burgundian tradition, and by the increasingly popular Saint-Veran and Macon-Villages appellations.

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COTE REGION

The Cote`s wines of Bordeaux are scattered over a wide region stretching from the borders of the Charentes to those of the Dordogne. in the heart of the Bordeaux vineyards. The word cotes means hills or slopes in French. In Bordeaux, it refers to hillside vineyards on the right bank of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers as well as the Gironde Estuary.

Appellations and soil
Six appellations come under the heading of Cotes : Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Cotes de Bourg, Premiers Cotes de Blaye, Cotes de Castillon,. Cotes de Francs and Graves de Vayres.
Cotes vineyards share a certain number of similarities, especially the presence of clay-limestone soil on hilltop vineyards, soil with more clay on the lower slopes, and a touch of gravel here and there. Furthermore, all the vineyards face south or south-west, absorbing maximum sunlight. It is not surprising that such vineyards produce extremely pleasant. full-bodied, easy-to-drink wines of character.

The Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux
The Premieres Cotes are located in the heart of the Gironde, not far from the Graves. The vineyards take up a narrow strip of land 60 kms. (40 miles) long and i km. (3 miles) wide, parallel to the right bank of the Garonne. This splendid location gives Premieres Cotes red wines their strong personality. The wines' well- deserved reputation. is due to their deep colour, body and finesse.

The Cotes de Bourg
This region has long been a small separate entity for historical reasons. It is sometimes called ;'Little Switzerland' because of its steep hills on the right bank of the Dordogne. just up river from its confluence with the Garonne.
As a typical Cotes wine. Bourg offers a wide diversity of vineyard soils that change from estate to estate. Some wines have more powerful tannin. while others possess a remarkable bouquet.

The Premieres Cotes de Blaye
The Premieres Cotes de Blaye are located just north of the Bourg region on the right bank of the Gironde Estuary across from the Medoc, and as far north as the boundary with the Charente- Maritime department. The rich, fruity wines of the Blaye region, are much appreciated. This is a region steeped in history and tradition, as evidenced by the famous Citadel de Blaye and small fishing ports on the estuary.

The Cotes de Castillon This appellation faces the Dordogne river, to the east of Saint-Emilion. Its name comes from the town of Castillon- la-Bataille where the Hundred Years War came to an end. Cotes de Castillon wines are full-bodied and generous, with considerable finesse.

Cotes de Francs This region can be considered the northern extension of the previous appellation. The Cores de Francs produces wines somewhat similar in character to the Cotes de Castillon.

Graves de Vayres These vineyards overlook the left bank of the Dordogne south-east of the city of Libourne. The appellation takes its name from the gravelly nature of its soil (made up of layers of alluvial pebbles of varying thicknesses).

Touring the vineyards You will delight in discovering the soft, green countryside "far from the madding crowd' where Cotes wines are made. Besides its attractive landscape, wine and cuisine, the region also has major historical significance.
Country houses and wine cellars set back among the vines are full of history which their wine grower owners love to recount.

It is impossible to resist the local country inns and succulent entrecote steaks served with cepes (boletus mushrooms). and what better wine to accompany your meal than a delicious Cotes, which also suits most meat dishes and cheeses?

The Cotes are famous for historical monuments such as the Chateau de Vayres and the Chateau de Cadillac, as well as the Citadelles in Bourg and Blaye and not forgetting the prehistoric caves of Pair-non-Pair. The Cotes region has a great many picturesque hamlets and tiny fishing ports on the Garonne. Dordogne and Gironde.
The Corniche a road along the banks of the Garonne and the Gironde, provides some beautiful scenic viewpoints.

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