Chablis - questions about the future

Unfortunately, both of these were recommended to me by otherwise reliable retailers as being “classic” Chablis.

So I guess the bigger question - with ‘global warming’ and the need to please more palates, are we seeing ‘traditional Chablis’ become rounder and less acidic/mineral in general or is something else going on? @William_Kelley ?

While I agree somewhat with this, with regard to 2021, I would say try the wines. Try Samuel Billaud Sechets or MdT, and compare with his 2020 or 2022. Or Wm Fevre MdT. If you prefer the '20 or '22, maybe you are the new “Chablis” drinker.

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And then there’s 2023.

I’ve only had basic level wines so far but except for Fevre Champs Royaux , and Fevre Petit Chablis, the results were not enticing. The same rather easy style, lacking grip or minerality. The most surprising such, to me any way, was Louis Michel. Fevre Petit Chablis outclassed the Michel Chablis by a mile with nice Chablis character.

I fear climate change is no friend to Chablis. Unlike say Beaujolais.

What really hurts is the accompanying price hikes over the last five years. No longer a value play I’m still looking for Samuel Billaud , Julien Brocard etc but Chablis no longer a default buy for me at these price levels.

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Definitely seeing an ‘easier’ style in the more widely available Chablis.

Is it a friend to Beaujolais? there’s a lot more really good winemaking there, certainly, but I think things would be even better were the weather not quite so warm.

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The increased ripeness and alcohol levels are definitely worrisome.

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Agreed. For those who like the ‘cooler’ expression of Beaujolais, these past many vintages has been very bad.
Not to mention the general bacterial instability I feel this climate has unleashed, which is very apparent for low-intervention makers. In Europe it’s not just that it’s becoming warmer, but it’s the instability of it. Heatwave, torrential rains and hail.

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Yes, of course. Especially because ‘difficult’ manifests in many different types of vintages, including hot and dry weather.

And, let us not forget the old point about ‘classic’ being a useless descriptor, as styles have always changed over time.

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You mentioned producer. Does the l’enclos style tend towards the honeyed softer side regardless of vintage? That has been my experience with them, but have not tasted extensively.

I don’t take issue with a region having many styles. You like ripe Chablis with oak? It exists. You need restrained Chablis with iodine? It exists. You want a mix of both that reflects the vintage? It exists. To each their own. Wine has always been a minefield. Buying a producer or vintage for the first time will always come with good or bad surprises. That’s half the fun and half the deception of wine. At least to me.

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My experience with both of these vintages is still quite limited, but from what little I’ve tasted 2020, I’ve had several that have been structurally surprisingly fresh and acid-driven, contrary to my expectations. However, of those that I’ve tasted, way too many Chablis 2020s have shown an unpleasant streak of vegetal greenness which is why I’ve steered clear of the vintage.

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Ah the greenie meenies! I’d love to do a double blind research to see if there is a gene similar to the cilantro gene that explains the level of sensitivity! :slightly_smiling_face:

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in all honesty, I think the big challenge is when most wine drinkers hear the term ‘Chablis’ they have a specific style in mind, and that is not rich and unctuous and lacking acid.

Of course, there will always be plenty of exceptions. But in this case, the general consumer will be disappointed if these wines are not crisp and mineral, right?

I am not talking about the geeky WB crew here.

Hope that makes sense.

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I’m not sure which group I qualify for, but if a Chablis is not crisp and mineral with high acidity, there is no reason for me to seek it out. But I guess I could say that about pretty much any white. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Here’s the thing - if I say ‘Chardonnay’ one will generally ask additional questions to understand style. But to the general consumer, when one says Chablis, I believe, perhaps mistakenly, but they expect a specific style.

Kinda how Bordeaux used to be - don’t even consider opening for a decade or two . . . And boy has that changed!

I’ve only had the wines once or twice and honestly can’t recall. I have had similar experiences to Chris more broadly across 2021 amongst lesser known producers though. Honey or even overtly exotic fruit that seems out of place in Chardonnay generally which has lead me to suspect botrytis.

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Thats because people use “classic” and “thin, diluted, lacks flavor, or otherwise flawed” interchangeably.

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It would be interesting for an industry expert or retailer to share how the market is accepting Chablis with more ripeness and fruit and more moderate acids than the style of decades past.

I wouldn’t be surprised if many wine consumers, even though not WBers posting in this thread, are enjoying relatively riper Chablis as a good general Chardonnay value play at $25-50.

I also still guess Chablis producers, or at least many of them, could make 12% lean minerally high acid Chablis if they wanted. But maybe they are finding a better audience as they let the wines get a little riper and acids more medium.

To be clear, those are just my guesses. I’m happy to listen if someone with real knowledge of that market were to share information.

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Wow–this is a tough crowd. It’s almost as if you don’t like chablis? Try a 2014 from any number of top producers–classic wines if there ever were classic wines–and tell me how many are thin, diluted, lacking ,etc. Do the same with 2017. In 2021, we had an extremely difficult year. I wouldn’'t in any way expect the lesser producers that you’ve never heard of before to produce drinkable, classic chablis. But the best producers did, and I prefer their 21’s to their 20’s and 22’s.

Chris’ questions about the market are front and center. I personally don’t believe that producers can dial it up and down easily without stripping the wines somewhat, or fattening them too much. I tend to pick producers who have a set style that I bond with, and hope they don’t mess with it.

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