FRANCE: Chablis
2017 Gold: 4 Silver: 5 Bronze: 2 Commended: 8
2016 Gold: 5 Silver: 11 Bronze: 0 Commended: 6
Chablis is on a bit of a roll in this competition. It often does well in cooler vintages, when our somms enjoy that classic cold metallic crunch to the wines, but 2015 was a much warmer, riper year and our tasters still liked what they were seeing. Taster after taster mentioned that, with Burgundy prices moving from ‘pricey’ to ‘frankly ridiculous’, Chablis is probably the best place to come for more affordable classy Chardonnay.
Of course, that said, these things are all relative. There has been precious little under £10 from Chablis for a few years now, and the epically brutal 2016 vintage (which left the region with a hugely reduced crop) is hardly going to help that.
But provided they can eke out supplies, you can get some marvellous wines here. Just don’t expect your supplier to be receptive to hard bargaining.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘People are definitely big fans of Chablis, they know what style they’re going to get: a lot of steeliness. Just a couple had oak, and it was interesting to see screwcaps on three of the bottles.’ Ivan Ruiz, Wright Brothers
‘The Mâconnais used to be the value end of Burgundy, but Chablis still has some of the best value wines.’ Simon Woods, team leader
‘Chablis is unique in the world of Chardonnay. Even at a high price tag it earns a place on good wine list because it really delivers a distinctly different experience and is a great food-matching wine.’ Martin Lam, team leader
‘A couple had a little bit of oakiness so would hold their own against white meats like a herbed chicken or a more meaty fish like a turbot or a halibut. But we’re talking about seafood really, the minerality works brilliantly.’ Scott Levy, Smith & Wollensky
‘Sometimes an expensive Chablis can remain in the cellar for a long time. They justify the price in terms of quality, but can be a difficult sell.’ Raphael Thierry, Street XO
‘The quality is outstanding, really impressive. It’s a hand sell but the quality is there. They’re bringing it back to more terroir-specific wines. It’s tried to be a bit more off-piste in the past few years, but they’re bringing it back.’ Harry Crowther, M Wine Store