Photo by Peter CurbishleyChablis is a town and commune of the Yonne département in France. Chablis is located at the north of the Burgundy region. It lies in the valley of the River Serein.

The village of Chablis gives its name to one of the most famous white wines in France. Chablis is made with Chardonnay, a grape that grows particularly well in the region. The soils in Chablis

The Chablis region is the northernmost wine district of Burgundy, France. The grapevines around the town of Chablis are almost all Chardonnay, making a dry white wine renowned for the purity of its aroma and taste.

Chablis lies about 100 miles north of Beaune, as near to Champagne as to the rest of Burgundy. The region covers 15km x 20km across 27 communes, either side of the Serein river.

The soil is Kimmeridge Clay with outcrops of the chalk that extends from Sancerre up to the White Cliffs of Dover. The Grand Crus, the best vineyards, all lie in one small area just north of the town.

“Chablis” in the New World

Until the 1970s, producers in the New World labelled their wines with names familiar to their customers. Hence the name “Chablis” would be applied to any dry white wine, regardless of where it came from or what grapes it was made from. Pressure from the French government and the rise of varietal labelling means that these semi-generic names are dying out.