The Heights of the Chablis Area
Produced across the same seventeen communes as Chablis, Petit Chablis occupies its periphery: the steep hilltops and the plateaus on both banks of the Serein, between 230 and 280 metres in altitude. It is the first rung of the hierarchy, above the finest hillsides reserved for the crus.
The Terroir: Portlandian Limestone
It is geology that separates Petit Chablis from Chablis. Where Chablis is born on Kimmeridgian marl and limestone, Petit Chablis grows on the Tithonian limestone plateaus — formerly called "Portlandian" — a harder, younger rock. This terroir gives slightly lighter, livelier wines, built on fruit rather than mineral depth.
The Style of the Wines
Petit Chablis shows a light gold robe with green glints, a mineral nose lifted by floral notes (hawthorn, acacia) and fruity ones (grapefruit, lemon), and a lively palate carried by good acidity. It is a wine of pleasure to drink young, within its first two years, served chilled (8 to 10°C) — perfect as an aperitif, with oysters, seafood, andouillette or fresh goat cheese.