 |
| Chablis Vineyards |
The second white wine we sampled on April
13th in the tasting group after the Sancerre was a Chablis. The most
ubiquitous white wine in the world without a doubt is Chardonnay. You might
think that the popularity of this grape would make it easier to identify in a
blind test but it is also one of the most simple grapes which is highly
influenced by its terroir and it can
be made in many different styles. It can receive partial or full malolactic
fermentation or none at all and you can ferment it in stainless steel or in
barrel. It can be aged without oak, in partial oak, neutral oak, new oak or a
combination of old and new oak barrels. Yet, like its Burgundian neighbor Pinot
Noir, it is rarely blended. So, you can have a Chardonnay that is light and
crisp with notes of green apple and pear or one that has more stone fruit notes
such as peach, nectarine and apricot or even a more full bodied style with cooked
fruits like baked apple with cinnamon and clove with layers of butter, caramel
and butterscotch. This is where understanding how the climate and soil is
reflected in the wine as well as the typical styles of the most well-known
regions becomes important, whether it is new world regions such as Napa
California or old world regions such as the Côte de Beaune or in in this case –
Chablis.
Chablis
The Chablis region is the northernmost wine district of the Burgundy
region in France. It is located about 10 miles east of Auxerre in the Yonne
department located about halfway between Côte d'Or and Paris. It is closer to
the southern Aube district of Champagne than the rest of Burgundy which is why
it has similar soils. The region covers 12 miles across 27 communes
located along the Serein River. The soil is Kimmeridge clay with areas that have the same chalk layer that extends from Sancerre up to the White Cliffs of
Dover. The Grand Crus,
the best vineyards in the area, are all located in one small southwest facing
slope located just north of the town of Chablis.
Most of the vineyards are devoted to
growing Chardonnay. The cool climate of this region produces wines with higher acidity
and less fruitiness with more citrus and crisp apples notes than the warmer climates
of California, Australia and other new world regions. The wines also tend to
have a very distinct minerality often tasting of gun flint or steel as well as
chalk and clam shell that makes it distinguishable from Burgundy and new world
Chardonnays. They also tend to receive much less influence of oak than Côte de Beaune
or new world Chardonnays. In fact, most basic Chablis wines tend to be completely
unoaked and are vinified in stainless steel tanks. Producers that do use
oak tend to keep it to a minimum, as heavier use of oak would tend to mask the
uniqueness of wines from this terroir. But, many Grand Cru and Premier Cru
wines receive some maturation in oak barrels, but typically not nearly as much
as those of the Côte de Beaune.
Domaine
Savary
 |
| Domaine Savory |
Domaine Savary is in Maligny, a village just
north of Chablis located between between Paris and Dijon. Olivier and Francine Savary
have been vignerons since 1984 but many of Olivier’s family members
were vignerons. Olivier attended wine school in Dijon and Olivier and
Francine arranged to farm some vineyard land en métayage (share
cropping) in the Chablis and Petit Chablis appellations. Initially Olivier sold
off the majority of his production in bulk to a négociant. Then with
the help of his longtime neighbor and childhood friend, Jean-Marie Raveneau,
Olivier finally began bottling under his own label.
 |
| Domaine Savory Wine Cellar |
The grapes from his vineyards throughout the Chablis appellation are blended
into one village wine cuvée. Oliver also bottles a premier
cru from Fourchaumes, as well as a separate cuvée of old-vine
fruit in heavy, wax-sealed bottles after élévage in demi-muids.[1]
Francine et Olivier Savary Chablis – 2011 vs. 2012
The 2012 Francine et Olivier Savary Chablis
underwent alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in temperature-controlled
stainless steel tanks
and the wine was then aged on fine lees. This is a clear white wine, straw-hay
in color with low concentration and medium- viscosity. On the nose it has
subtle aromas of peanut shell, under cooked oatmeal, watercress, cooked cabbage
water, cheese rind, and a hint of flint and chalk. On the palate it has flavors
of fresh lemons, hints of green apple, apricot and chalk. It is dry with medium+ to high acidity, it is medium bodied with medium+
alcohol and medium+ to long finish. This wine retails for about $30.
In the Intensive Sommelier Training class
at the International Culinary Center we tasted the 2011 Francine
et Olivier Savary Chablis. Here are my notes for that wine for a comparison of the two vtinages:
The 2011 Francine Olivier Savary Chablis is clear day straw-yellow with bright intensity of medium concentration and
medium viscosity. On the nose it has medium intense aromas of apples, pears,
melon rind and chalk, crushed shells with subtle under-notes of peaches and
apricots. On the palate it has medium+ acidity, medium body, medium alcohol and
a medium+ length finish with a very distinctive mineral structure.
Hands down, I preferred the 2011 over the
2012 as I think it was more of a classic vintage with a more typical fruit and
mineral profile. Many wine-writers have noted that 2012 was a more difficult
vintage for both Chablis and Sancerre.
No comments:
Post a Comment