Céline Chevallier

CHABLIS PRODUCER

Located about 2.5 hours southeast of Paris (just short of 2 hours northwest of Dijon, the northern tip of Burgundy) is the estate of Céline Chevallier (pictured above with her father), located just east of Auxerre in Chablis.

Descending from an old family of wine growers living in Courgis (6 kms east of the current estate) and farmers for generations since 1788, two brothers, Claude and Jean-Louis Chevallier, decided to revive the ancestral activity in 1986.

Claude, who had a passion for wine, was in charge of the vineyards & wine production while Jean-Louis dealt with the grain farming side of the business. Claude first planted vines in the districts of Beines and then in the districts of Courgis and Chablis. In January 2018, their children, Céline and Tommy, took over the farm, creating two distinct estates.

Céline produces mainly Chablis as 9 of her 15.5 hectares fall in the AOC Chablis, with 6.5 hectares in Petit Chablis and 0,3 hectares in Chablis 1° Cru. The appellations in this area are determined according to the geological areas of the secondary Jurassic, a Kimmeridgian soil made of limestone and clay. It is the best soil for Chardonnay which is the only grape variety allowed to be produced in Chablis.

The winemaking process takes place in a wine and spirit house in Montallery, a typical little village surrounded by hills and located between Beines and Courgis. The Chablis and Petit Chablis are vinified and aged in stainless steel vats with thermoregulation whereas the Chablis 1° Cru and Chablis “Cuvée Prestige” add in some oak aging for a percentage of the wine. The winemaking process takes 9 to 10 months in total before release.

Currently we have Domaine Chevallier 2018 Chablis in stock with more 2018 & 2019 on the way. This wine is a minerally, fruity wine made to enjoy with appetizers and cooked fish, seafood, roasted chicken or pork & cheeses.

Jens thinks it's the best quality Chablis currently on offer in Seattle. We deal directly with Céline when we order her wine from France; she could not be lovelier. This post uses her correspondence for the details on her estate & wines.

Cheers,
Julie Howe, co-owner
Portalis Wines & J. Strecker Selections