Because of their increasing world-wide popularity, wine stores around the world now maintain a regular supply of Chardonnay wines from places as diverse in character as Australia, Chile, California, South Africa and Italy. Some stores in New York, California and London even carry a regular supply of the best Israeli Chardonnays. Regular readers of these pages know that I have nothing whatever against those wines, many of which I find delightful and sophisticated, but when it comes to identifying my personal favorite Chardonnay, I have no choice but to turn to the wines produced in the region of the sleepy, rural French village of Chablis.

Most oenologists are convinced that it is the peculiar and highly individual mixture of chalky limestone and clay of the area that accounts for the fact that the Chardonnay wines produced in Chablis are quite different than those produced anywhere else in the world. Located 160 kilometers north of the main portion of the Burgundy region of France, Chablis which is made entirely from Chardonnay grapes, is regarded as the most perfect example of a dry white table wine. Unlike most Chardonnay wines, the traditional terms for describing the taste of Chablis are "flinty" and "steely". This does not mean that the wine actually has metallic qualities. Rather, these terms refer to the wine's dryness, a fresh, crisp, almost tart but clean dryness that serves almost as a surface coating through which one can easily perceive the underlying fruit of the Chardonnay grape., At the same time, the verybest Chablis has a bigness and richness that make it a virtual king among the world's foremost white wines. With a bouquet of freshly cut hay, apples and an underlying mineral note, the best Chablis wines are light gold in color, with glints of green when they are young. As they age, they become darker and more glossy.

More than any other white wine from Burgundy, Chablis benefits from bottle age. Last year, for example, I tasted several Chablis wines that were bottled in 1971 and found them to be remarkably fruity and ripe with no trace of deterioration. Even though this does not mean that all Chablis should be stored for twenty years (heaven forbid!), three years in the bottle is the minimum for good Chablis and the best will age well for at least a decade. Chablis that is too young may make for good drinking but it tends to be a bit harsh, and by drinking only young Chablis one will miss the complex scents, flavors and strength which rounds them out with age.

There are four categories of Chablis: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. All can be excellent but those wines labeled Petit Chablis or Chablis should be bought only if they come from France. Some California and New York wineries continue in the somewhat doubtful practice of calling their wines "Chablis" but these are merely inferior copies, some of which do not even contain Chardonnay grapes. One should never lose track of the fact that the only wines truly entitled to that label come from the Chablis district. Among the best Petit Chablis and Chablis are those from Joseph Drouhin, Alain Geoffroy, Michel Laroche, Louis Michel, Robert Vocoret and Chablissienne.

Wines labeled "Premier Cru" (first growth) and "Grand Cru" (great growth) are distinct steps upward in body, flavor and individuality and their costs show it although they are not as expensive as wines of comparable quality from other parts of Burgundy. Some find that the Premier Cru wines are the most typical and satisfying, with plenty of flavor and a distinctive amount of acid. Grands crus, on the other hand, have a richness and strength which rounds them out and sets them above all of the other wines in their class. My favorite Premier Cru producers are Fourchame, Les Forets and Vaillon. There are seven grand cru vineyards, Blanchots, Bougros, Les Clos, Grennouilles, Les Preuses, Valmur and Vaudesir, and even though all produce superb wines, my personal choice is for the wines of Les Clos.

Some, including this critic, say that Chablis was born especially to be drunk when feasting on raw oysters. So firmly do I believe this that I recall once offending several readers by writing that "the best marriage ever made in Heaven was that between Chablis and oysters. The wine is also considered ideal with other shellfish and goes very well with fish and poultry, especially when they are served cold. The wine itself should always be drunk well chilled and even though the best vintage years for any of these wines are 1996, 1995, 1992, 1990 and 1989; good second bests are 1986and 1985 and the wines from 1994-1992 are still drinking nicely and will prove remarkably satisfying.

© Daniel Rogov