La Chantemerle
The artisan tradition in Chablis is alive and well at Chantemerle, Francois Boudin's small estate in La Chapelle. I have long admired these mostly stripped down wines for their direct expressions of place. ANTONIO GALLONI
Francis Boudin has been crafting traditional Chablis for generations and is amongst a set of staunch traditionalists who have refused to be seduced by modernity. Barrel-free Chablis has been the modus operandi at Chantemerle for decades where the philosophy is to craft their wines as naturally and as authentically as possible.
One account has Boudin Sr. hiding in a barrel when the Germans began their occupation. One of his vineyards is called L'Homme Mort on account of the fact he dug up the body of a Civil War Soldier as he was helping plant the first vineyards of Chablis. Chantemerle is steeped in history and tradition, true old school! PWS
One of the beauties of Chablis is its fragility. Its nervy nature runs an electric current through the wine. Sitting precariously in its northern location, the region has historically provided knife-edge ripening conditions, resulting in fruit purity, unattainable elsewhere. This inherent fragility is its superpower, but these wines are anything but fragile.
While new oak is generally avoided in Chablis, some producers like Raveneau favour old oak to give a little breadth to the wine. Others who chase line and purity such as Louis Michel, embrace stainless steel to capture the inherent zip in the wine. The wines of Boudin fall somewhere between these two styles.
No oak is used at the Boudin estate. What began as a family feud has now become their winemaking philosophy for at least three generations. When Adhemar Boudin took over from Grandpa Boudin (a cooper), he refused to use oak. Francois Boudin, Adhemar’s son is now at the helm and continues the no oak mantra, favouring cement and stainless steel. Texture is built into the wines through subtle lees work.
You can taste the tension in the wine, a nervosity that thrills and excites. The absence of oak lays the wine bare, exposing its stony soil origins. The clarity and crunch of the grapes are on full display. It’s like you’ve slipped on your x-ray goggles when sipping this wine.
You may be familiar with Chantemerle Chablis. As a new generation has taken over, the estate now goes by the name Adhemar and Francois Boudin. The wines have been harnessed by current winemaker Francois Boudin and show a lively edge to their primely fruited cores. The future is looking bright here.
All the fruit is estate owned and sustainable agriculture promoted to ensure they leave a healthy legacy for future generations. This also pronounces fruit purity, a classic Chablis trademark.