Chablis

This historic wine region just outside Auxerre, has a name which captures the imagination and sets the taste buds tingling. It is the largest appellation of white Burgundy wines and known throughout the world, although Premier Grand Crus and Grands Crus Chablis can be quite rare.

The early spring frosts here can be very harsh and can quickly devastate the harvest. The soil in Chablis is a unique clay limestone known as Kimmeridgien and is a continuation of the soil at Kimmeridge, Dorset, England, some 650 km to the Northwest.

Those parts of the town that survived the second World War include the 12^th Century church and the two supporting round towers of the old town gates. The Serein, a sleepy river with its source near Arconcey, 85 km to the southeast, passes the town on its way to join the Yonne River north of Auxerre.

For more tourist information and history, see Premier Pages (Wine Regions, Places of interest)