Chablis - 2008

It is apparently perplexing how a year with a poor spring and summer could have produced such lovely wines after just three weeks of excellent weather before and during the harvest. It is partly explained by the fact that although July and August were very wet (the July rainfall was twice the average), the sunshine hours were about normal. So the grapes were ripening, but diluted. The other determinant factors were that the yields were low and that the stable weather allowed the conscientious producers to wait until the grapes were ripe. If the yields had been higher, and had the producers rushed to harvest early, the grapes would have been green and the wines vegetal. Thankfully then, 2008 is lovely vintage for Chablis, which balanced abundant fruit with crisp acidity.

Toby Morrhall