Chablis

"A dry wine, diuretic, and it tastes flinty." That's a description of Chablis from the 1830s which - although I don't know if Chablis makes one go to the toilet any more than other wines - mostly still holds true today. The wines, almost always from Chardonnay, have such high acidity from the cool climate that they feel dryer than most, furthered by a mineral, chalky, flinty mouthfeel. Those dry, often austere, flavours can make Chablis a difficult wine, appealing more to those with acidity fetishes than those who like their wines rich and fruity. However, as I have recently discovered tasting the wines of one Chablis producer, this perception of Chablis is complicated by a surprising variety of styles.

the appellation

Chablis is south west of Paris, one of the furthest north regions in France where quality wine is made. Back in the nineteenth century, when it supplied much of Paris's wine, the vineyards extended further south to connect it with the rest of Burgundy. However, after phylloxera hit and the railway connected Paris to the cheap wines of Languedoc, the lower-quality vineyards weren't replanted, meaning that there now exists a 100km gap between Chablis and the Côte d'Or. During the twentieth century, Chablis began to retreat even further: the cool climate results in spring frosts that can wipe out a vintage before it's even begun. The 40,000ha planted in the 1880s had reduced to 500 by the 1950s. Spring frost is now countered by sprinklers and heaters, which have led to a resurgence in the region, with plantings back up to around a still small 3,000ha.

Chablis is divided up into Chablis AC, the broad appellation whose quality can vary; the Premier Cru vineyards, which controversially extend into areas not traditionally associated with quality Chablis; and Grand Cru, seven vineyards on a slope overlooking the village. There's also Petit Chablis, whose soils are different from the rest of Chablis and which can produce good-quality and good-value wine.

the producer

Laroche are a producer I've found hard to avoid: one of their wines was a staple of hangingditch, the shop I worked at in Manchester, and now the wines are imported into the US by Wilson Daniels, whom my wife works for - which is why I've had the chance to taste their wines recently. One of the most interesting aspects of Laroche is that they are one of the few top French producers to use screwcap closures on all of their wines, even the expensive Grands Crus - or at least they were until recently, as their new vintages have returned to cork closures. They're coy about why they have made this return, but one can only conclude they feel that the guaranteed cleanliness of the wines comes at the expense of their ageing capabilities. We are still at an early stage of understanding how wines may age under screwcaps, but Laroche have been quick to abandon the experiment, perhaps because the quality of corks has improved greatly over the last ten years.   

from screwcap to cork

the wines

St-Martin 2014 (c.$30)

Made from grapes taken from selections of Laroche's 60ha of holdings around Chablis, their entry-level wine has the high acidity characteristic of the region. What I like about it is the body and weight that comes from eight months of lees ageing, meaning that the acidity doesn't overly dominate. It needs those nutty, bready aromas from the lees, because otherwise the aromas would be rather too neutral. ✪✪✪✪

Les Vaudevey Premier Cru 2013 (c.$46)

Of the wines listed here, this perhaps feels - despite some oak ageing - the most classically Chablis: a very restrained nose of lemons and lightly baked apples, with high acidity and a dry finish on the palate. There's a slight creaminess from those baked apple aromas, with some nutmeg. It's all very subtle, and I'd like to try this with a food equally high in acidity. ✪✪✪✪

Les Vaillons Vieilles Vignes Premier Cru 2013 (c.$53)

The "vieilles vignes" aren't that old, planted in the 1970s and 80s, but the nose is more expressive and there is more weight to the wine on the palate than the previous Premier Cru. It's that extra weight which distinguishes the two wines, as the baked apple and nutmeg aromas are otherwise quite similar. ✪✪✪✪✪

Les Blanchots La Réserve de la Obedience Grand Cru 2012 (c.$165)

This is the stand-out wine, but also the one that's least typical of Chablis, with a rich, oaky creaminess that lends the wine a true Burgundy feel (the wine has been aged in 25% new oak). However, the acidity is still bracingly high, refusing to let the oak drag the wine down into a heavy brusqueness. This is like Burgundy on acid. ✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

Chablis, with its acidity and restrained aromas, is still not a region I have quite come to grips with. I would certainly like to experience more Chablis producers to gain a better overall understanding of exactly how the Premier and Grand Cru wines differ from each other - Patrick Piuze is one producer worth indulging in. But having recently tasted these wines at home and at various events, I now appreciate the variety of styles made in Chablis, which have far greater body and weight than I previously appreciated, even if they all share one characteristic: acidity. 

WSET Educator Course

This blog has had a bit of a hiatus recently, as I was busy preparing for - and then doing - a WSET Educator Training course in San Francisco. The course was an intense, challenging, yet highly rewarding experience, which I feel has improved my teaching methods and helped me greatly understand what the WSET want students to learn from their courses - something I've wanted to get to the bottom of for a long time.

the course

Just to give an idea of the intensity of the course: I walked into the classroom at 8:30 on Monday morning, to be greeted by Master of Wine David Wrigley, who created the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting and who was leading the course. At the back of the room sat another MW, Mary Ewing-Mulligan of the International Wine Center in New York, and two MWs in training, Jim Gore of the WSET and Mary Vari from Toronto's Independent Wine Education Guild. As introductions go, that's as intimidating as it gets.

Feeling intimidated at the beginning of the course is quite usual, though, and the friendliness and support of the teaching staff quickly became clear. Together with the tutors, the class, which featured students from the US, Canada, and Jamaica, formed a strong bond which saw us through some challenging sessions.

The first day was mostly spent learning about best teaching methods. My favourite advice for preparing a lesson was that you should create a list of topics where knowledge is assumed, those that must be covered, those that could be covered, and those that must not. As well as being a good preparation tool, this really clarified what was expected of students at the different WSET levels. Those levels are divided into Beginner (Level 1), Intermediate (Level 2), and Advanced (Level 3). An important thing I learnt is that Level 1 is aimed at those in the service industry wanting, or having, to do a one-day course, while Level 2 is for those who want a more in-depth knowledge of wine. However, both courses are for students who have no assumed prior knowledge.

Having learnt this, we were given a series of facts about Chablis to divide into assumed, must cover, could cover, and must not for a Level 2 class. Each group of would-be teachers placed the most basic facts about Chablis into assumed knowledge. As David pointed out, we'd all fallen into a carefully-laid trap: there is no assumed knowledge at Level 2.

Realising the difference between each level was one of the most valuable aspects of the course. Level 2 is, I finally learnt, called Understanding the Label for a reason: at the end of the level, students should be able to explain a wine label - what the wine tastes like, what the terms mean, what the grape varieties used are. Meanwhile, at Level 3, which is called Understanding Style and Quality, it's about the why - why the wine tastes like it does.

On the second morning, we were led through the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting by Jim Gore, in which I had to give a tasting on a standard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Again, most valuable was understanding the approach the WSET wants for each level: Level 1 is quite simple, learning about the different basic types and styles of wine; Level 2 is about how the taste of a wine reflects what's on the label; while Level 3 is about why the wine tastes like it does, going much further into describing its different structural elements.

I also learnt that the WSET are going to formally add BLIC (Balance, Length, Intensity, Complexity) to the Level 3 Systematic Approach to Tasting. This is a way of assessing the quality of the wine which, although not perfect, makes it clearer than before what students should be looking for in a wine when drawing conclusions on the wine's quality. Is the wine balanced? How long is the finish? How intense are the aromas? How complex is the wine? Although the student still has to write an accurate tasting note that logically leads to quality conclusions, using BLIC will help focus students when thinking about quality. (Another change when the WSET Level 3 is relaunched in August is that the spirits component of the book is to be removed, with a separate Level 3 for spirits to be created at some point.)

teaching

By far the most intimidating and challenging aspect was being assessed teaching. On the afternoon of the second day, we all had to give a 15-minute class on an assigned topic, in my case German labelling terms. Teaching the topic also required creating a PowerPoint presentation and a detailed session plan. Despite plenty of experience teaching, I have never been so nervous presenting in front of a class. Maybe it was the two MWs at the back of the room assessing me; maybe it was because all the pretend Level 2 students in my class were my peers already holding or studying for the Diploma. My presentation went well enough and got good feedback from both the assessors and the other students, but my throat was dry, I stammered for words, and wasn't as coherent as I wanted to be. Fortunately, the third day was mostly free to revise our presentations and work with fellow students to help us improve: the collegiate nature of the course definitely benefitted everyone's presentations and confidence, including my own.

assessment

The final day saw us being formally assessed, and after three days of learning, studying, and practising, I felt no way near as nervous as I did for the practice assessment.

The fifteen-minute class was immediately followed by a ten-minute tasting also at Level 2; in my case the wine was a Chianti Classico. Although we were only able to taste the wines a few minutes before our assessments, we had been promised that the wines would be typical of their region. My Chianti Classico was certainly that, and it was quite straightforward talking the class through the red fruits, high acidity, and medium tannins of the Sangiovese. 

After the morning-long assessment, we all sat in a large room waiting to be called in and told whether we had passed or not. The hours passed as we waited, nervously joking with one another. Three hours later, I was finally called in to be told I had passed and I had the makings of a very good teacher.

This means I am now fully qualified to teach Level 2. Once I have finally finished the Diploma (just the fortified wine unit to go), I will have to return to become a fully accredited WSET Educator by teaching a Level 3 tasting and learning how to mark Level 3 papers. Then, I hope, I will never have to do an exam again.