A Chablis Dinner

The other evening we invited a few friends over for dinner. One of whom, Princess P, like us, appreciates old Burgundies, so we decided to subject all our invitées to a flight of Chablis of various ages. Specifically, Chablis 1er Cru, Fourchaume. Fourchaume is a one of the 1er Cru parcelles in the appellation of Chablis located north of the river Serein, rive droite as it is known locally, but this broad-brush description does not give credit to the significance of terroir, or the ground in which the vines grow.

Our first experience with terroir took place in Bordeaux while traveling with our Personal Historian, also on the rive droite but of the Gironde, while standing on the edge of a field at a T-shaped intersection of what can best be described as tractor tracks. When we asked the wine maker why they divided the field as they had, he explained that to the left of the tractor track was Pomerol, to the right Lalande-de-Pomerol and behind us Saint-Emilion. With further examination, we could see differences in the soil of each field – more or less gravel, more clay – that created the distinction that led to the division by appellation.

However it is in Bourgogne that we are much more struck by the importance of terroir. Here, unlike in Bordeaux, the wine is made from the juice extracted from one grape – Pinot Noir for red and Chardonnay for white – rather than the traditional blend of several grapes in Bordeaux. In Chablis, we find four appellations – Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premiere Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru – all white wines that exhibit obvious similarities but incredible differences.

Chablis is know for the Kimmeridge clay formed during the Cretaceous period and made up of limestone, clay and even fossilized oyster shells that date back to a time when this area of France was covered by sea water. It is the same Kimmeridge clay that forms the White Cliffs of Dover. So this limestone clay and the fact that Chablis is located at the northern extremes of sustainable viticulture give the sharp acidity and minerality that we associate with this wine. Closer examination of the region shows three subtle differences in the soil.

South of the river, rive gauche, the soil is typically Kimmeridgian with it usual mix of limestone gravel and light clay. North of the river, rive doite, the soil is similar but extremely dry, even arid. At the northern end of the Serein Valley in which Chablis lies, on either side of the river the limestone clay has been enriched over time by a great deal of a great deal of decomposed plant matter perhaps deposited there by the flow of the river and this is where the parcelle Fourchaume is located.

We had often heard of these distinctions but had never experienced the difference created by these deposits. Fourchaume is clearly a Chablis. In the glass, the color is a light yellow with pale green reflections when it is young, tending toward golden with age. The nose offers light minerality that lessens with age and the odour of white flowers that seems to melt into honeyed tones with age.

Not being completely sure what we would find upon uncorking the bottles, we chose our menu with trepidation, trying to avoid sharp flavors, vinegar and other tastes that could impact the flavor of the wine. We also decided to be traditional in the manner we opened the bottles – youngest to oldest. So we began with a 2004 Fourchaume from Domaine Châtelain. This is a small and relatively young domain, as are most in Chablis. The end of the 19th century heralded a difficult period for the region – mold, phylloxera, two world wars – and despite a 1938 ruling that established the Appellation d’origine controlée, by 1950 less than have the vineyards in Chablis were cultivated.

We opened the 2004 with a salad of peas, radish and feta dressed with a lemon cumin dressing. The salads was served over bean sprouts which were a bit large and coarse for the mix of spring peas and diced radish but the feta and cumin did add a nice counterpoint to the peas. The wine with its relative youth stood up nicely to the spice. The color was pale yellow, and the nose was lightly flowery with hints of minerality. In the mouth, the wine was fresh and fruity. There was light acid that the fruit supported with a slight sweetness. All in all, a pleasant wine to open with friends or a cumin dressing.

Next up was a 1999 Fourchaume from Boudin. More completely known as Boudin Père et Fils Domaine de Chantemerle, this domain is also a family business producing Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, and 1er Cru Homme Mort. We had decided to serve it with salmon in a dill and caper cream sauce, pureed carrots and swiss chard. The Prince Consort is the roi de purée and he did not disappoint here. FYI: swiss chard is 'blettes' in French; it must originate in the francophone part of Switzerland.

Unfortunately, the wine was not up to our standards. Pulling the cork on this bottle, the scent was slightly sweet. Not a great sign. In the glass, the color was a deep yellow and the nose while slightly flowery still carried that light sweetness. In the mouth, the wine seemed past its prime, unfortunately, and several guests, including the PC did not finish their glass. We found it drinkable but not extraordinary.

As a ‘pre-post-script’ (does that make sense?), we had pulled two bottles of this wine from the cave but opened only one. The next afternoon, two other friends stopped by and we opened the second bottle for an aperitif. Wow, what a difference. Dear Readers, it is said, "Never judge a book by its cover." and we must add, "Never judge an older wine by one bottle." Although a case was bought from one owner, the first bottle was ‘off.’ The second was lovely – the color was still a golden yellow, but the nose was full of white flowers melting into honeyed ripeness. In the mouth one could understand why this was a Premier Cru; all the acid and harsh minerality was gone replaced by a structured wash of flavors including fruit, honey, even toast, all supported with a light tannin probably a result of the new oak barrels in which many 1er Cru Chablis spend some time. This was the winner and a great keeper!

To continue the dinner, we decided to tease tradition by pouring a 1998 Fourchaume from William Fevre with the cheese course. For this exercise, we had chosen cheeses typically from Bourgogne – Epoisses, brillat savarin, and several goat cheeses. Note, Attentive Audience, that Epoisses is capitalized because it is named for a city, most other cheeses are not; one could argue that brillat savarin is named for a man, therefore should also be capitalized, but I must say it is not, but that is French! Serving white wine with cheese strikes many Americans as anathema but in certain regions of France it is considered traditional to do so. One must be attentive and pair white wine with cheeses from the same region.

William Fevre was a respected Chablis producer that fell on difficult times in the late 1990’s. Henriot, the family known for the Champagne house that bears their name (but no longer own), bought the domain in the early 2000’s and have dedicated resources to restoring its reputation. This bottle stood up to the cheese handily, but brought us little more. Yes, it was obviously a 1er Cru Fourchaume, but we would not rush out for more. Several months prior we had drunk a 2003 Grand Cru from Fevre. Likewise, well made even if potentially too young, we did not think that that bottle lived up to its potential. We have decided to give the new owners more time to improve their production before passing final judgment.

For the final, we chose a much older bottle, and a Grand Cru. Knowing that with age, a good bottle will loose more and more acidity and express more sweetness, and a Grand Cru should age longer than a 1er Cru, we chose this for the dessert course. Unfortunately, the dessert we made was less than stellar which, naturally, reflected badly on the wine. Our recipe was inspired by one we had seen on French television, a series of 'healthy' pasta courses to make at home. The original recipe called for farfalle, which the PC does not like, and pomegranate - juice and seeds. Easy enough to substitute another pasta but finding pomegranates out of season in Paris was not so easy, so here we substituted dried papaya reconstituted with guava juice (don't ask why it is easier to find dried papaya and guava juice than pomegranates, it is French logic). The pasta is cooked in water seasoned with black tea and sugared. It is cooled and combined with the fruit, the juice, a bit of lime juice and served sprinkled with crushed pistachios and white sesame seeds. Perhaps it is better in its original form, with the pomegranate, but we will leave that to you, Loyal Reader, to try and report back.

The wine, a 1991 Grand Cru Les Preuses, La Chablisienne, did make an extraordinary effort to overcome its 'partner's' liabilities. It had beautiful color, a deep golden yellow; the nose was complex and expressed even the beloved mustiness of older Burgundy reds; in the mouth, it was full and round with a lingering flavor of honey and toasted nuts. It was successful but special; not everyone loves old white wines, even if we do! The producer, La Chablisienne, is an old and established cooperative in Chablis, buying grapes from 300 growers in the region, and it has produced excellent wines since 1923. We are sitting on a Jeroboam of 1998 Chablis (well, not literally sitting on it, but it is set aside) waiting for a large and festive occasion, hint, hint.... Interestingly, jeroboams from Champagne are 3 liters, equivalent to 4 bottles, but those from Bourgogne and Bordeaux are 4.5 liters, the equivalent of 6 bottles.

The real winner at this dinner, Dear Reader, was the 1999 from Boudin. Remember that Fourchaumes will be rounder and more flowery that many more readily available Chablis, then go buy it (and we know where, right?), drink it, enjoy!