Chablis

Chablis is a dry, crisp white from northern Burgundy, France, made entirely from Chardonnay. Expect lemon, green apple and pear with a distinctive stony, mineral edge and plenty of fresh acidity. Lean and elegant rather than buttery, it’s brilliant with oysters, prawns, grilled fish, sushi, roast chicken and goat’s cheese.

Taste:

Chardonnay, but probably not as you know it.

Chablis is typically dry and light to medium-bodied, with high acidity and flavours of lemon, green apple, pear and subtle white flowers. Its signature is a fresh, mineral character often described as stony, chalky or flinty.

Most Chablis puts freshness and purity ahead of obvious oak, particularly at entry level, although some premium wines may use older or carefully judged oak during fermentation or ageing.

The cool climate keeps the fruit crisp and restrained, giving Chablis a very different personality from richer, buttery Chardonnay styles.

Same grape. Considerably less butter.

Food Pairings:

Chablis and seafood is one of wine's most reliable combinations.

Oysters are a classic match, with the wine's acidity and mineral character working beautifully alongside fresh shellfish.

Try it with prawns, mussels, crab, scallops, clams or a seafood platter. Garlic prawns and seafood salads work brilliantly too.

For fish, pair Chablis with grilled sea bass, cod, sole, haddock or halibut, particularly with lemon, butter or fresh herbs.

Sushi, sashimi and ceviche are excellent matches as well.

It also works beautifully with roast chicken, grilled chicken and lighter creamy chicken dishes.

For cheese, try goat's cheese, Brie, Camembert or Comté.

Similar Wines:

If you enjoy Chablis, Chardonnay is the grape to explore around the world – just be prepared for it to change personality dramatically depending on where it's grown.

For richer Burgundy Chardonnay, Meursault brings more body, nuts and creamy complexity, while Puligny-Montrachet combines elegance with mineral precision.

Pouilly-Fuissé is another great option if you want to stay in Burgundy but explore a riper, rounder expression of Chardonnay.

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More About Chablis:

Chablis sits in the northernmost major wine-growing area of Burgundy, geographically separated from the Côte d'Or further south.

Its cool climate and limestone-rich soils – particularly those containing ancient marine fossils – play a major role in the fresh, mineral style associated with the region.

Chablis has its own hierarchy. Petit Chablis sits at the entry level, followed by Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and, at the top, Chablis Grand Cru.

And despite the name appearing on bottles around the world historically, genuine Chablis is Chardonnay from this specific part of France.

No other grapes. No other region.

Chablis has boundaries, and frankly, good for her.