Chablis
Burgundy's northern outpost, where Chardonnay grows on fossil-rich limestone above the river Serein.
- Wine village
- 1 h 30 from Beaune
- White wine
- 7 grands crus
€880for a long-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Appellations
- Chablis, Petit Chablis
- Grapes
- Chardonnay
- Premiers crus
- 40
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 30 by road (135 km), €345 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About Chablis
Chablis is a small town on the river Serein, about 90 minutes north-west of Beaune. Its name is famous around the world, yet the vineyard is compact and easy to read. All seven grands crus share one hillside facing the town, while the premiers crus spread through the side valleys around it.
The wines
Chablis is white only, and made entirely from Chardonnay. The best slopes lie on Kimmeridgian limestone and marl, about 150 million years old and full of tiny fossil oysters called Exogyra virgula. Petit Chablis comes mostly from slightly younger Portlandian limestone. The wines are prized for freshness, precision and a saline, chalky edge rather than weight. The grands crus, about 100 hectares on the right bank of the Serein, add depth and reward ageing.
History
Chablis enters written history in 867, when King Charles the Bald gave the monastery of Saint-Loup and the estate of Chablis to monks of Saint-Martin of Tours who were fleeing the Vikings. The town's great collegiate church is still dedicated to Saint Martin. In 1114 Cistercian monks founded Pontigny Abbey, a short drive to the north. The abbey soon received gifts of vines in Chablis, and its monks did much to develop the vineyard. Their 12th-century cellar, the Petit Pontigny, still stands in town.
Chablis prospered as a wine town, with about 4,000 inhabitants by 1537. Hard times followed: a Huguenot attack in 1568, then phylloxera and mildew at the end of the 19th century. The appellation was created in 1938, and German aircraft bombed the town on 15 June 1940. By 1955 only about 550 hectares of vines remained, and frost wiped out the 1957 crop. Growers now fight spring frost with heaters and water sprinklers, and the vineyard covers about 5,800 hectares.
All the grands crusBlanchot · Bougros · Les Clos · Grenouilles · Preuses · Valmur · Vaudésir
Well-known premiers crusMontée de Tonnerre · Mont de Milieu · Fourchaume · Vaillons · Montmains · Côte de Léchet
What to see
Collégiale Saint-Martin
Begun around 1160 and rebuilt from 1220, the collegiate church has been a listed monument since 1862. Its side door is covered with horseshoes, left by pilgrims asking Saint Martin to protect their horses.
Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne
Opened in May 2023 in the monks' old cellar of the Petit Pontigny, with a modern wing. This branch of Burgundy's wine centre explains Chablis and its climats, and offers tastings.
Pontigny Abbey
Founded in 1114 as the second daughter house of Cîteaux, Pontigny keeps one of the largest Cistercian churches in the world. Thomas Becket took refuge here from 1164 to 1166.
The grand cru hillside
Across the Serein from the old town, all seven grands crus share a single slope facing south-west, between about 100 and 250 metres. From the valley road, the whole hierarchy fits in one view.
Tips for your visit
Allow a full day, with about 90 minutes of motorway each way. Taste in town, walk the old centre, then add Pontigny Abbey, or the red and Sauvignon villages of Irancy and Saint-Bris, about half an hour away.
Around here
What to combine with Chablis on the same day, nearest first.
Saint-Bris
14 km awayIrancy
15 km away
- Food & markets
Marché aux truffes de Noyers
An autumn Sunday, usually in late October, sometimes followed by a second market in NovemberNoyers
Questions
Chablis is about 1 h 30 from Beaune by road (135 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €345 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? In 1478 Chablis gained the fifth printing press in France. The Le Rouge family printed their first book there, the Livre des bonnes moeurs, on 1 April 1478.
Sources
Chablis with a private driver
Long-day wine tour from Beaune: €880 for the car, up to 4 guests