Skip to content
WineHQ
Search

Appellation · France

Chablis Premier Cru

Forty named climats on the better-exposed slopes, sold either under their own name or under one of a dozen umbrella names.

Chablis Premier Cru AOCcontinentalcool
What to expect in the glass

Dry, high-acid white with more weight and depth than village Chablis — citrus and orchard fruit moving towards something waxier and nuttier with five years in bottle. Still lean by Chardonnay standards.

About Chablis Premier Cru

Premier Cru in Chablis names a specific climat — a delimited piece of hillside — on both banks of the Serein. The right bank crus, nearest the Grand Cru hill, are generally the most substantial; Montée de Tonnerre in particular is often held to be Grand Cru in all but name.

The practical complication is umbrella naming. A grower with a parcel in a small climat may sell it under a larger neighbouring name, so the same wine can appear under two labels and the smaller names appear less often than the list suggests.

Premier Cru is more concentrated than village Chablis, with more texture and a longer finish, and it takes oak better — though many of the best growers still use only old barrels, or none.

What the name means

Legal name
Chablis Premier Cru AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, pruning and training methods, and in many cases minimum ageing. Administered by INAO.

Worth knowing

Around forty individually named climats, several of which may be sold under a smaller set of recognised umbrella names — Montée de Tonnerre, Montmains, Fourchaume, Vaillons and others.

Grapes

Wines from here

white

Chablis

Unoaked Chardonnay from the coolest corner of Burgundy: citrus, green apple, high acidity and a distinctly saline finish.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Chablis

Serve at 8–11°C (fridge cold).

Try with salmon, fish pie or cod.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Chablis — Chardonnay grown far enough north, and usually without oak, to taste like nothing else the variety does anywhere.
  • Chablis Grand Cru — One south-west-facing hillside above the town, divided into seven named climats and sharing a single appellation.
  • Petit Chablis — The appellation on the higher plateau above Chablis — lighter and sharper, and not the lesser wine the name implies to English ears.

Sources

Sources consulted