10/14/08 French Chardonnay

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today we continue our discussion of Chardonnay. As we discussed yesterday not all Chardonnays are created equal. If you've been drinking and learning about wine for very long I'm certain you have had a white wine from France. French white wines have a reputation for being very good, and there are strict quality controls to ensure this. Unfortunately one of the most misunderstood names for a French white wine is Chablis. However, when it comes to the Chablis of France it is far from bulk wine. The region of France known as Chablis is in the northern area of Burgundy and produces only white wine. Chablis is white wine made from the Chardonnay grape and they are classified by the level of the quality of the vineyards they come from. For example a label that reads only Chablis can be from anywhere in the region. But a label that reads Chablis Premiere Cru indicates a very good quality wine that comes from specific high quality vineyards. The highest classification would be the Chablis Grand Cru of which there are only around seven vineyards and these wines are very limited in production and yes you guessed it, as a result very expensive. The longevity of the wines falls in line with the level of quality. A standard Chablis will last about two years from its vintage, a Premiere Cru two to four years and a Grand Cru three to five years. So when it comes to the Chardonnay of Chablis France it is certain that they are not all created equal. And thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.