This August marks the centenary of the legislation laying down the first principles of appellation d’origine contrôlée. Since 1919 the wine growers of Chablis have had legal rights to use the name. But Chablis is a complex region and many arguments regarding the appellation’s strict definition ensued – which villages could use the name, was it essential that wines were made exclusively from Chardonnay and how important was it that vines were grown on the distinctive Kimmeridgian limestone soil?
In The wines of Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois Rosemary George MW explores the intricacies of the wines of this region, taking an expert look at a wine many of us may believe we know well. Some have even been known to decry the region’s wines as ‘boring’, perhaps believing that the limitations of variety and soil in such a small appellation result in a lack of diversity. George argues that on the contrary there are myriad versions of the wine, to the extent that wines grown by different vignerons will display distinct differences even when grown on the same plot.
This is Rosemary’s 13th published book and includes profiles on some of the grandchildren of producers that she included in her very first book on the region!
You can find out more about the book and order a copy online: http://www.infideas.com/