Chablis continues to offer a great deal to fans of white Burgundy and the Chardonnay grape. Unlike many top Côte d’Ôr whites, Chablis is widely available.
In terms of value for money, top Premier Cru vineyards sell for less than village wines from appellations such as Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault. Grand Cru Chablis repeats the trick when compared to Premier Cru wines from the leading Côte de Beaune villages. Chablis is a wine with the potential to age for many years and a style where terroir characters are encouraged to shine, with prominent oak and other winemaking influences taking a back seat.
Largely unencumbered by techniques such as barrel-fermentation, oak ageing and extended lees-ageing, Chablis wines often act as ‘windows’ on the vintage, with the character of the growing season evident in a complex interplay with the characteristics of the climat.
Add on Chablis’ ability to age and this provides an opportunity for fascinating insights in to how wines from certain vineyards, or those produced by particular vignerons, age.
Chablis has a marginal wine-making climate where frost, hail, drought or excessive rain often have a major impact. Some vintages are decidedly ‘cool’ in character, e.g. 2004, 2007, 2008, whereas some show extra ripeness following significant heat – 2006, 2009, 2015.
Other factors can come into play – 2013 was a year with rampant botrytis, whilst 2016 was a vintage where volumes were slashed due to devastating frost and hail. But despite these variations, the wine underneath remains steadfastly ‘Chablis’, making vintage comparisons fascinating.
Consumers are blessed with a number of excellent vintages over the past dozen years. A few vintages have the potential to go down as legendary examples, with 2014 probably leading the way. Apart from the stunning 2014 (where many of the wines still appear embryonic), fine vintages to look out for are 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2017. These are wines which show classic Chablis characters, and are mostly still available through specialist merchants.
My summary has excluded 2008 – a very fine vintage – as this is less easy to track down. I have also added some comments from some good friends in Chablis – Sébastien Dampt (Domaine Sébastien Dampt), Anne Moreau (Domaine Louis Moreau) and Domaine Long-Depaquit (Bichot), to flesh out my description of the key vintages.
2017
A vintage with many classic Chablis characters. The start of the growing season was very uneven, with a very cold January followed by a warm February and March. As in 2016, frost struck a devastating blow, severely reducing volumes. Summer saw a return to hot, dry, weather leading to an earlier harvest than 2016. Cooler nights resulted in higher acidity, which is combined with highly aromatic wines. Still very youthful, these wines will reward careful ageing.
Bichot: 2017 is a very typical vintage for Chablis with wines that boast chalky notes and saline freshness.
Anne Moreau: A vintage to keep in the cellar for a few years to enjoy it at its best.
Sébastien Dampt: 2017 can be aged a long time and, although the wines are open now, they may then close down.
2015
A low quantity but high-quality vintage. Following a mild winter there were few frost issues, flowering was even and summer was warm and dry. Hail affected 300 ha in some Grand Cru/Montée de Tonnerre but remaining Chablis vineyards were picked in good health. Acidity is lower than some more ‘classic’ years, with the ripe, rich profile giving wines that are very approachable, but perhaps one not for the long-term.
Bichot: The vintage gave rich and full wines, with some freshness which has been preserved despite the very sunny and hot conditions. Minerality is at the background but will undoubtedly develop with time.
Moreau: 2015 shows notes of exotic fruits and ripe fruit, balanced yet by nice minerality and iodine notes – a very pleasant vintage to enjoy right now (Anne Moreau).
Dampt: 2015 is a warm vintage and similar in my view to 2009. And, although the 2009’s are very good to drink now, the 2015’s are in the period where the wines are starting to evolve.
2014
Undoubtedly one of the greatest Chablis vintages, the main issue at the moment is that some of the top wines are currently rather one-dimensional and dominated by high acid, without the development of additional characters. However, at Chablis/Petit Chablis level, these are stunning drinking wines.
A warm winter lead to the risk of April frost. Spring was dry before a very wet July/August with twice the annual rainfall. Prospects were bleak until a dry, windy September, allowed grapes to ripen slowly. Harvesting took place at the end of September/early-October. The resulting wines are taut, with high acidity and refreshing citrus notes and classic ‘stony’ characters.
Bichot: The wines are full of freshness and tension. They show a great balance between purity, minerality and density. Probably one of the most balanced vintages, along with 2012. Built for long ageing.
Moreau: One of the most classic vintages in Chablis! This vintage is to keep for years… Grand Cru are still too young and need time to reach their peak.
Dampt: 2014 is the most classic vintage in Chablis for the last 10 years. Austere young, 2014’s need time but have huge potential for ageing.
2012
Like 2010, this was a year of unsettled conditions at the start of the growing season. Frost, hail, millerandage combined to give low yields. The summer was very dry but beneficial rains in September were followed by fine harvest conditions. A year with very good structure combined with ripe fruit and floral characters. Perhaps not quite as concentrated as 2019 but drinking very well at all levels now. The Grand Cru can certainly be kept for many more years.
Bichot: The typical minerality of Chablis is supported by good acidity, whilst expressing no sharpness. A great vintage.
Moreau: 2012 is a classic Chablis vintage with wines that are particularly expressive.
Dampt: 2012 seems a bit like 2019 – a small harvest, warm conditions during the summer and a good level of acidity. 2012 Chablis are well balanced, and they are drinking well now.
2010
Low yields delivered very concentrated Chablis, with high acidity and some lovely freshness and mineral notes. Unsettled conditions during flowering led to millerandage and although the Spring was warm, Summer was cool with limited sunshine. As often happens in Chablis, a fine September enabled grapes to reach perfect maturity by the end of the month. Storms were still present during the harvest and careful selection was required. However, where producers got it right, great wines have been produced with roundness, acidity, power and longevity.
Bichot: 2010 is a vintage of well-balanced wines with good minerality, freshness and tension.
Moreau: 2010 presented a good balance between acidity (similar to 2005) together with the roundness of 2008. If you still have some Premier Cru and Grand Cru, it’s time to enjoy them.
Dampt: A very concentrated vintage due to the north wind before the harvest, and beautiful weather in August and September. The level of alcohol was high, so it’s powerful and rich. 10 years of aging is a perfect time for this type of wine.
See Andy Howard MW’s pick of Chablis wines perfect to drink now
