It seems that critics these days all like the same thing when it comes to Chardonnay.  Namely, heavily oaked, creamy, buttery,  heavy but smooth juice.  This is the norm in California, and in most of Burgundy.  Those who want crisper wines are usually forced to drink Sauvignon Blanc.  There are, howerver, a few bastions of un-oaked chardonnay left in this world, and most of them can be found in the northern-most section of Burgundy, in the town of Chablis.  It amazes me that even to this day, many Americans think Chablis is a type of cheap jug wine from Ernest and Julio Gallo.  Although it is true that many American wine companies bottled generic white wine and labeled it "Chablis" in the 70's and 80's, it must be remembered that those jugs contained absolutlely no grapes from the French town of Chablis.  They only used the name Chablis because they thought it sounded quaint.

Burgundy is a huge wine producing region.  It contains the Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune, which are the areas most people think about when Burgundy is mentioned.  But it also contains the Beaujolais region in the far southern section of Burgundy, the Maconnais region (home of Puilly-Fuisse'), also in the southern section,  the tiny Cote Chalonnise in the center, and Chablis in the far northern reaches.

Chablis is situated on hilly land within the Serein River Valley.  The area has limestone soil, and this gives the local Chardonnay grapes a special flinty character.  The region is also fairly cool, and this also affects the flavor profile of the grapes.  The region could not be any more different than Napa, and as such, the Chardonnay from these regions could not be more different.  Most producers in Chablis do not use oak barrels, and those that do minimize the oak contact time.  The wines of Chablis therefore have more true fruit qualities, and less woody qualities.

Domaine Thierry Hamelin makes a nice un-oaked Chablis with a price about the same as a good Napa Chardonnay (about 30 dollars retail).  The 2001 Chablis Vielles Vignes is from very old vines, I believe about 50-75 years old.  The grapes are hand-harvested, and the wine sees no oak treatments.  The wine has vibrant fruit flavors of lemon, melon, and minerals/flint.  The wine has a long and pleasant finish.  The wine has well integrated lively acidity which gives it the refreshing qualities of a Sauvignon Blanc, despite the fact that it is a Chardonnay.

This is a great summer wine, and pairs nicely with chilled shellfish.

3.5 stars

 

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