Etienne Boileau Petit Chablis 2015
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Domaine du Etienne Boileau is situated in the small town of Chablis at the northern extremes of viable viticulture in the northernmost wine district of the Burgundy region of France. Subscribing to the belief that tradition combined with terroir and climate are essential to making a great wine, viticulture at the estate is dominated by the belief that a winegrower should allow the natural environment where his grapes are grown to be reflected directly in the glass. Etienne Bolieau credits the Kimmeridgean clay soil of the hilly slopes of the Serein Valley — a clay-based soil that dates back to the Upper Jurassic age over 180 million years ago, and includes a particular soil type known as argilo-calcaire (a composition of limestone, clay and fossilized oyster shells) — with imbuing their wines with their superior character and structure.
In 1987, three growers joined forces to create a larger domaine called Domaine du Chardonnay that would have access to more manpower and an impressive collection of vineyards. Etienne Boileau, the overall director of the domaine and manager of both work in the cellar and general sales, works side by side with partners William Nahan and Christian Simon, who oversee all operations in their 37 total hectares of vineyards. Every harvest is vinified and matured in their cellars in Chablis. Through every stage from harvest to bottling, the wines are handled with the utmost of care. Recently a new bottling line was chosen and installed as the finishing touch to their commitment to high-quality vinification and bottling. Combined, they have 9 hectares of Petit Chablis, 18.5 hectares of Chablis, and 9 hectares in Chablis Premier Cru vineyards, including Montmains, Montée de Tonnerre, Vaugiraut, Vosgros, Vaillons and Mont de Milieu, with total annual production of under 30,000 cases. All wines are vinified in stainless-steel tanks, with a handful of the Premier Cru bottlings seeing a brief period in oak. Filtration is minimal and mostly achieved through low-impact cold precipitation.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
While there is not really anything small about Petit Chablis, it does categorically represent a “mini” Chablis in the sense that the wines are more approachable when young and not intended for long age. Petit Chablis is a perfect introduction to the Chablis style of Chardonnay—bright, racy, tactile, flinty, complex. But Petit Chablis won’t put you over budget and they are notoriously wonderful food pairing wines. Raw fish, oysters, grilled prawns, or any fish for that matter, as well as egg-based dishes, goat and soft creamy cheese and savory puff pastry tartlets will partner graciously with the floral, citrus and mineral notes of a Petit Chablis.
The term Petit Chablis actually refers to the wines made from Chardonnay grown in vineyards right outside of the borders of the Grands Crus and Premiers Crus, but still within the Chablis wine-growing district. In thte Petit Chablis areas, Portlandien soil dominates, a clay limestone soil similar to the prized Kimmeridgian (where the Grands and Premiers Crus Chablis vineyards lie), but geologically younger.
Petit Chablis are generally made without the use of oak barrels.