Hate Chardonnay? Try Chablis!

by Maggie Bernat Smith

It's been fashionable in the last few years to completely break up with grape varietals like you would a tired old boyfriend that none of your friends like; however what if you discovered that your old boyfriend went to charm school, got a $60 haircut and started shopping at hip clothing boutiques? This is what I feel is happening to grape types like Chardonnay and Merlot that people love to hate lately. Chardonnay, Merlot and God forbid White Zin is actually what got Americans drinking wine in the first place. People loved the oaky-buttery Chardonnay, the easy drinking, lush, fruit-driven Merlot but somewhere along the way, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir kicked these grapes to the curb and have been gaining more and more fans with every vintage.

Chardonnay is still my all time favorite grape varietal after all these years of tasting wine from around the world. It's history begins and ends (as far as I'm concerned) in the region of Burgundy France and is the benchmark of Chardonnay at its best. The French have a long history of planting different grape varietals in different regions, soil types and climates to see what best expresses the land and are considered to be the experts. Chardonnay they found best expresses the region of Burgundy. Since the old world names their wines by the region they come from instead of the grape type, few know that 99.9% of any white wine from Burgundy is Chardonnay.

If you've never tried Chablis before (and I'm not talking about the $5 jug wine from the 70's), then you've never had the most purest form of Chardonnay on the planet. Chablis is the region north of Burgundy and 99% of all they do is pure, unadulterated Chardonnay. If they use oak on their wine, it's neutral oak and only used to oxidize the wine not to add flavor. Chablis is known for their kimmeridgian soil which is a chalky, limestone, and clay soil litered with fossils of sea creature (Chablis was once under a sea in ancient times). This soil type and the fact that they are so far north makes this very steely, minerally, flinty Chardonnay.

The winemaker from William Fevre (one of the biggest and best producers in Chablis) says he spends 99% of his time tending to his vineyards because without good grapes, there is no good wine. His goal is to really make the land speak to you through the voice of Chardonnay. If you are a Chardonnay-hater, give Chablis a try, it's so crisp and clean and perfect for these hot summer days. I guarantee that you wouldn't even recognize this form of Chardonnay, it's so fresh and so clean and so delicous!

Food pairing tip - nothing goes better with oysters on the half shell.