La Chablisienne

La Chablisienne, founded in 1923, is the largest cooperative in Chablis, and probably one of the "best in France." It has a vineyard of around 1,200 hectares and brings together nearly 300 winegrowers who take extreme care in cultivating their vines and carry out rigorous plot selection. Over time, its white wines have gained an extraordinary reputation around the world.

Deeply committed to the concept of terroir and its most natural expression, La Chablisienne now offers around thirty cuvées across all appellations (Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis Grand Cru). It also owns the famous Château Grenouilles, a monopole within the Grand Cru Grenouilles, the rarest of the Chablis grands crus. The La Chablisienne range of wines allows it to skillfully express all the aromatic characteristics of Chablis's king of grape varieties: Chardonnay!

The economic crisis that followed the end of World War I had a particularly severe impact on the wine industry. Burgundy was not spared, and the difficulties encountered by Burgundy's winegrowers prompted an abbot to bring several of them together with a single goal in mind: to sell their wines. This is how the cooperative winery was founded in 1923 under the name La Chablisienne. Over the years, and especially after World War II, the cooperative worked to develop the techniques used by artisan winegrowers. La Chablisienne now enjoys a solid reputation both nationally and internationally, 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 and offer a perfect balance between smoothness, power, and fullness.

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

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

Although it is possible to purchase La Chablisienne wine in all four appellations, since 2003 the cooperative has been running a famous estate that produces an exceptional wine: Château Grenouilles. With just over seven hectares of production, it is one of the most sought-after Chablis Grands Crus. The harvest from plots of old vines is carried out in the traditional manner to produce an extraordinary wine that only reveals its potential and full aromatic richness after many years in the cellar.

" Le pas si petit " (The Not-So-Small Step), " Le Vibrant " (The Vibrant One), " Le Finage " (The Finage), " La Pierrelée " (The Stony One), and " Dame Nature " (Mother Nature) are just some of the names chosen by La Chablisienne for its wines from all Chablis appellations.

Although 2005 shows 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, food pairings with La Chablisienne wines will depend on this. While Petits Chablis wines are best enjoyed with fresh goat cheese or pressed cooked cheeses from Savoie such as Beaufort or Comté, Premiers Crus wines pair beautifully with more regionally-based products such as Burgundy snails or andouillettes.

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