Chablis’ Dirty Little Secret

Chablis may well be one of the most recognizable wine names and also among the most  misunderstood by wine consumers. Some old-timers associate the Chablis name with cheap jug white wine. Then the French don’t help by their obsessive categorization of wine regions. So there are 4 types of Chablis which is a major wine region located in the northeast of France, all made 100% from Chardonnay. 

The four types which are really appellations are: Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Chablis, and Petit Chablis. And the most understood is “Petit Chablis.”  And the most likely of the four to offer super bang for your bucks is…Petit Chablis. So do I have your attention now?

Petit Chablis has nothing to do with being little, but everything to do with place and soils. That’s what most French wine is all about, in case you forgot. While the other categories of Chablis share a type of ancient limestone soil known as Kimmeridgian, Petit Chablis is grown on a more recent type of limestone categorized as Portlandian. 

As vineyards were expanded in Chablis, all of the vineyards on this type of soil were most often on the higher slopes or the beginning of the plateau. In other words, on the outskirts.   A relative newcomer in French wine history,  Petit Chablis became official in 1944.

By today’s standards, the vineyards of Petit Chablis which now represent 20% of all Chablis are not inferior so much as they are not located on that precious ancient limestone soil. And, no surprise, Somms and influencers thrive on babbling about how much they know about the 180 million year old soils. And that rant might lead to terroir, another soil-related subject SOMMS will beat to death.

So back to plain talk and the wine that ignited this conversation.

The wine is: Prieuré Saint-Come Petit Chablis (France)  2021 $25 and I’ve seen it selling for $20. 

It is bright and lively from the get-go with an aroma of fresh cut apple, and a little hint of lemongrass and citrus. The taste is again vibrant with tart apple and a chalky, crisp aftertaste that is a hallmark of Chablis. ALL Chablis.  This Petit has all the right stuff without oak and is moderate in alcohol, so it invites a second glass and is ever so food-friendly.

Fresh, lively, and with no ponderous oak or alcohol, Petit Chablis is worth exploring as a white wine that happens to be made from Chardonnay. In addition to the wine mentioned earlier, here are my 5 suggestions of the leading producers of Petit Chablis.

Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard 

Michel Laroche et Ses Enfants 

Samuel Billaud

Domaine Jolly et Fils

Domaine Roland Lavantureux

Unknown's avatar

Author: robywine, norm roby

My career as a wine journalist/critic began in 1975 when my article about California Petite Sirah was published. My focus remained on California as I edited a monthly wine magazine and then moved on to The Wine Spectator in 1982. Over the following years, my column appeared under the banner of “Stormin’ Norman, and I also wrote articles about wine collectors and wine auctions. Without getting into a year by year bio, let me try to summarize here. During my time with The Spectator which I enjoyed immensely, I taught wine classes at a culinary school and at other venues in San Francisco. Before venturing into wine, teaching was my thing, English Lit and Rhetoric. After The Spectator I was the U.S. Contributor to Decanter Magazine, writing mostly about California, but also expanding into Washington State and Oregon. My Decanter years began in 1992 and after buying a summer home in France in 2000, I traveled throughout France and eventually published articles about St. Emilion, Castillon, Bergerac, Minervois, Roussillon, Luberon, Provence, and Alsace. Also, around 2000, my wife began working for Cousino-Macul in Chile, so we tasted and traveled our way through Chile and, of course, managed to fly over the Andes and explore and taste our way through Argentina. As travel lovers, we have also spent many interesting days visiting the wine regions of Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scicily, Greece, and New Zealand. And to come to a close, I was Director of Winesong, a Charity Wine Auction for 20 years, 1992-2000 that benefitted a local hospital. That brought me in contact with wine collectors and to the auction scene. And finally, I co-authored a book, The Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine published by Alfred A. Knopf. It went through 4 editions and sold over 500.000 copies.

Leave a comment