La Chablisienne

La Chablisienne, founded in 1923, is the largest cooperative in Chablis, and probably one of the "best in France". Its vineyards cover some 1,200 hectares, and its 300 winegrowers take great care in cultivating their vines and selecting the best parcels. Over the years and around the world, its white wines have earned an extraordinary reputation.

Committed to the notion of terroir and its most natural expression, La Chablisienne now offers some thirty cuvées in all appellations (Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru, Chablis Grand Cru). It also owns the famous Château Grenouilles, a monopoly within the Grand Cru Grenouilles, the rarest of the Chablis Grand Crus. The range of La Chablisienne wines thus enables it to express with talent all the aromatic characteristics of the king of Chablis grapes: Chardonnay!

The economic crisis that followed the end of the First World War hit the wine world particularly hard. Burgundy was not spared, and the difficulties encountered by Burgundy's winegrowers prompted an abbot to unite several of them around a single goal: to sell their wines. This is how the Cave Coopérative came into being in 1923, under the name La Chablisienne. Over the years, and especially after the Second World War, the cooperative worked hard to improve the techniques used by artisan winemakers. Today, La Chablisienne enjoys a solid national and international reputation for producing renowned Chablis wines.

The Chablis wine region comprises 11 Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), including Chablis, Petit Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru. Made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, these wines are particularly well-structured, with the right balance of smoothness, power and fullness.

The vines are planted on a clay-limestone soil with a particularity due to the region's geological past: the presence of a layer of sedimentation rock composed of tiny oyster deposits. It is this aspect that gives Chablis wines their minerality.

Each appellation has different characteristics and reaches maturity at different stages of its development. While Petits Chablis need only one to three years to reveal their full potential, Chablis wines need two to five years before they can be enjoyed. As for Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grands Crus, it is generally after 8 to 10 years that they will express themselves best.

Although La Chablisienne wines can be purchased in all four appellations, since 2003 the cooperative has operated a famous estate producing an exceptional wine: Château Grenouilles. With just over seven hectares in production, this is one of the most coveted Chablis Grands Crus. The harvest from plots of old vines is carried out in the traditional way to produce an extraordinary wine that reveals its full potential and aromatic richness only after long years in the cellar.

" Le pas si petit ", " Le Vibrant ", " Le Finage ", " La Pierrelée " and " Dame Nature " are just some of the names La Chablisienne suggests for its wines from all Chablis appellations.

Although 2005 marks an extraordinary potential for an exceptional vintage, 2004, 2009 and 2010 were also very good years for the vineyard's grapes.

Because each appellation has its own character, gastronomic pairings with La Chablisienne wines will depend on it. While Petits Chablis can be enjoyed with fresh goat's cheese or Savoy cooked pressed cheeses such as Beaufort or Comté, Premiers Crus are ideal with more traditional products such as Burgundy snails or andouillettes.

Château Grenouilles, like the other Grands Crus, goes well with foie gras terrine or lobster.