There are three key classification levels for French Chablis to know:
1. Village Wine - Denotes a wine from a particular village, that usually will contain a blend of grapes from various vineyards. These wines are on the lower end of the price spectrum.
2. Premier Cru - These are wines that come from a particular vineyard within one of the key Chablis villages. This wine level starts the trend upwards in both price and quality.
3. Grand Cru - These are the best of the best Chablis wines that come from a specified vineyard that is fortunate enough to have as close to ideal grape growing conditions as possible. The name of the vineyard (not the village) is what appears on the label and why it's important to take the time to memorize key Burgundy vineyards if you are a Chablis fan.
French Chablis is further classified into levels of quality:
1. Petit Chablis - Represents an entry-level Chablis, that's intended to be consumed young.
2. Chablis - The grapes for this level must be grown somewhere in the Chablis growing district. These wines tend to show a bit more minerality, due to the high limestone content in the soil of the region.
3. Chablis Premier Cru - As the name suggests, this level of quality takes it up a notch and brings a wine that will age well.
4. Chablis Grand Cru - This is the upper echelon of Chablis, with only about 230 acres making up a total of seven vineyards from which to source the Grand Cru Chablis grapes. This level enjoys the greatest potential for aging.
Chablis Producers to Try:
Domaine Christian Moreau Pere et Fils
Domaine William Fevre
Joseph Drouhin
Domaine Laroche
Louis Jadot
Domaine Louis Michel
