Staying in the village changes everything
Most accommodation in the Chablis area sits in the surrounding hamlets. Charming, but it means driving after every tasting. La Maladrerie is on rue Jean Jaurès, in Chablis itself.
The practical consequence: you set off on foot in the morning, take in two or three estates, have lunch in the village and walk home with your cases. Nobody has to play the martyr who does not taste. Very concretely, this is the first reason wine lovers come back here year after year.
The second advantage: the slopes begin at the end of the garden. The Grands Crus occupy a single hillside on the right bank of the Serein, visible from the village. You can walk through them after breakfast and be back for lunch.
Four appellations, one grape
All Chablis is made from Chardonnay. What separates the four appellations is therefore neither the grape nor the grower: it is exactly where the vine is planted, and above all what the soil is made of.
Petit Chablis
On the plateaux and the youngest soils. Bright, direct, honest. The vineyard’s everyday wine, excellent as an aperitif and distinctly underrated.
Chablis
The broadest appellation, on Kimmeridgian marl. This is where the typical character is decided: mineral tension and a saline finish.
Chablis Premier Cru
Named plots on both banks of the Serein. More depth and more length, with differences of exposure that are strikingly legible from one climat to the next.
Chablis Grand Cru
Seven climats on one slope: Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur, Vaudésir. To be drunk some years after the harvest.
How to organise three days of tasting
Day 1 — calibrate. Start with an estate that produces all four appellations and ask to taste them in order. In an hour you will have grasped the hierarchy better than from any book.
Day 2 — compare climats. Choose two neighbouring estates and taste the same Premier Cru at each. This is where you learn to tell what comes from the terroir and what comes from the winemaker’s hand.
Day 3 — go back down the range. Counter-intuitive but unbeatable: take home Petit Chablis and village Chablis from the growers whose Grands Crus you liked. Those are the bottles you will actually drink.
Two rules: make an appointment, even where a sign says « tasting » — growers are at work. And do not visit more than three estates a day: beyond that, the palate stops telling anything apart.
Every season has its point
Winter and early spring
The ideal time to be properly received: growers have time, the cellars are quiet, and you taste the previous vintage just before bottling. It is also low season for rates.
Harvest (September)
The vineyard is in full swing and the atmosphere is electric — but the estates are entirely taken up. Book appointments well ahead, or concentrate on walking the slopes.
Late October
The Chablis wine festival brings the village to life on the last weekend of the month: many estates open, with tastings and events. The house is booked months ahead for it.
Summer
Plenty of open tasting rooms and organised visits, but plenty of visitors too. Book your tastings and favour the mornings.
Frequently asked questions
Can you really reach the cellars on foot?
Do you need an appointment to taste?
Can bottles be stored during the stay?
Is there still a wine museum in Chablis?
A tasting trip at your own pace
Send us your dates: we will confirm availability and gladly point you towards the estates worth contacting.