Reflection seems to be a skill, or an obsession, that grows with age. But hopefully this is a positive tactic when applied to the wines tasted and vineyards one has visited across the last 12 months. Now is the time to reflect on our wine experiences of 2018 and present them in a geographical format as we travelled across France and England. The first wine region we visited in early summer was Chablis, the most northerly bit of Burgundy. Here are the articles we wrote about each visit or tasting and each will be considered for our best vigneron and best wine of 2018.
#1 Chablis … The queen of wines?
On arriving in Chablis our first visit and tasting was an absolute marathon with owner Richard Rottiers at Domaine des Malandes. Here’s the article we wrote at the time, just click the title link to view:
Wine Tasting With a Flying Winemaker
Domaine des Malandes
Our second tasting, same day, was at the cooperative La Chablisienne. These were the first people to introduce us to the terroir and wines of Chablis and we always visit them whenever we arrive in the village. Their Premier Crus wines are outstanding value, especially their Fourchaume. Click the title link to read our short post:
In Praise of La Chablisienne
La Chablisienne
Our third tasting was at Domaine Pinson, an old and long established winemaker in Chablis going back hundreds of years and reputedly one of THE top vigneron in the village. Not easy to get an appointed visit so we were lucky to be introduced by our friend John Abbot, the owner of Abbots Elm Inn near Cambridge who has a second home in the village. Once again, click the title link to read our review post:
Fine Wines From an Old Chablis Family; Domaine Pinson
Domaine Pinson
The final vigneron is Domaine Dauvissat, a bit of a cheat because Mr Dauvissat is a bit of a recluse and doesn’t allow ANY visits, despite pulling every string I had. However, we organised a tasting at a local Chablis restaurant and the experience is described here. Click the title link again to reveal all:
Is This The Best Chablis in The World?
The bottle, the glass and the book!
So there you have it, our 4 top vignerons of Chablis entered into our Two Doctors Wine Awards 2018, which one will go forward to the final? Next …. wines and winemakers .. Alsace.
Categories: Burgundy, Reviews, Wine
Wines 101 #1 Is this the best Chablis in the world? 
A Chablis wine tasting with a Flying Winemaker! 
A family wine night! 
Fine wines from an old Chablis family: Domaine Pinson 
The Two Doctors 
Chablis was the first wine that I ever tasted. I was 18 and finished ‘A’ Level exams and four of us celebrated by going out for a meal at a restaurant. Presented with the wine list we were mostly clueless but my friend Rod Bull thought he knew something about it and recommended the Chablis. I can remember clearly the shock, my palate was not ready for it and I thought it was horrid and I swore that I would never drink wine again. Probably my worst ever prediction! When I drink white wine now Chablis is my preferred choice.
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You surprise me! But I do wonder if the wine you tasted as an 18 year old was truly Chablis, because certainly in my younger days there were no laws to prevent winemakers around the world putting Chablis on the label just because they had made it from Chardonnay. You should pay a visit to Chablis, only €4 for a jug in the central tabac in the village!
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Maybe not, I just recall that it tasted like poison at the time. €4 sounds like a bargain. I found a sort of bodega in Milan recently where a litre of red was just €2.50. It was quite acceptable but without a label there was no real way of knowing what it was or just how strong it was. It took a lot of toothpaste to remove the stains!
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