Swings and Roundabouts: Chablis 2020/2021

BY NEAL MARTIN | SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

Winemakers in Chablis are inured to whatever Mother Nature throws at them each year. Located at the notional latitudinal limit for “viticulture worth writing about”, winemakers and vines alike know the risks that lie ahead. That limit must have surely crept northwards in recent years, nudged along by global warming. Some Chablis aficionados shake their sticks and argue that the region has forsaken its steeliness and mineral drive, what I sometimes think of as Chablis’ aloof persona. Whereas most Côte de Beaune’s whites seek to appease the imbiber, Chablis snootily says: “Take it, or leave it.” This uncompromising nature appeals to some, and it is undoubtedly off-putting to others. Me? I am not averse to it. Just at the moment when Chablis was coming to terms with the hot summers and resulting style of wines, in sashays a season like 2021, a curveball that confronted winemakers with every conceivable challenge, while simultaneously presenting an opportunity to recreate the Chablis of old and a style presumed extinguished in our new climate. It’s all swings and roundabouts.

The Sirein River.

As usual, upon arriving in Chablis, I was immediately smitten by its tranquil atmosphere and prettiness. The Serein river glides through the town, bluebottles skimming between lilies and motionless fish letting the current flow by. The town center is low-key and rustic with a smattering of cafés, boulangeries and charcuteries selling the famous AAA andouillettes (still no vegan option incidentally) and producers’ tasting rooms hoping to tempt tourists, not that they exactly descend on Chablis by the coachload. As I mentioned in past reports, the town is slowly being spruced up. It remains a wonderful gustatory destination courtesy of the Au Fil du Zinc, Trois Bourgeons and Bistro Maufoux restaurants, all top-notch and boasting wine lists that shame many in Beaune. Apart from the cuisine, it also serves as a neat way to see the real prices of François Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat’s wines. More on that later. Construction continues on the Cité des Cimats & Vin that will stand opposite the BIVB building. It will be interesting to see whether this will serve as a magnet for more to visit Chablis. Remarkably few Burgundy-lovers make the 90-minute drive from Beaune, and on second thoughts, maybe the selfish side of me would like it to stay that way.

This year’s Chablis report examines the 2020 and 2021 seasons - vintages with little in common. Spending several days in the region at the end of June, I conducted a wide-ranging blind tasting at the offices of the BIVB, samples corralled according to status and climat. The wines that were tasted blind, approximately half in this report, are indicated as such at the end of respective notes. As usual, this was augmented by numerous tastings with producers that included a couple of maiden visits to the likes of Château de Béru and Domaine Pinson.

Athénaïs de Béru and Gaëlle Ribé, pictured outside their splendid historic château on my inaugural visit to Château de Béru.

The Growing Seasons