About the Comparative Wines
The Chardonnay grape originated in Burgundy, France and specifically in the Chablis region which marks Burgundy’s northernmost boundary. As the “homeland” of Chardonnay, winemaking in Chablis can be traced back to the 12th century. Wines from Chablis are always made with 100% Chardonnay and are known for expressing the hallmark Kimmeridgean marl, chalk and limestone soils of the area. The chalky white soil is the same outcropping of limestone that we see in the white Cliffs of Dover across the English Channel. Because of the extreme and cool climate of the area, Chablis wines tend to be higher in acid and winemakers tend to use less new oak on the wines than the Chardonnay made throughout the rest of Burgundy to the south. Domaine William Fevre is one of the best known producers of Chablis, and the wine being tasted is from a Premier Cru Vineyard known as Vaulorent. There are 40 Premier Cru and 7 Grand Cru vineyards officially recognized in the Chablis region.
Like Chardonnay, the home and origin of Pinot Noir is also Burgundy. The red wines of Burgundy are made from Pinot Noir grown in vineyards surrounding villages with famous names such as Volnay and Pommard. As part of what the French call “terroir,” each village tends to have a style of Pinot Noir that is dictated by the geology, climate and culture of the surrounding area. Génot-Boulanger Pommard is from the famous village of the same name and from a specific vineyard within the village commune known as “Les Cras.” This is not a Premier or Grand Cru Vineyard, but a specific vineyard nonetheless. The wines of Pommard tend to be bigger and more tannic in their youth, with great ageing potential. Les Cras is a vineyard dominated by rocky clay, and the name comes from “rocky hillside.”
The home of Cabernet Sauvignon is Bordeaux. Within Bordeaux, the two major growing regions are on opposite sides of the Gironde estuary and the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. The “Left Bank” of the Gironde is home to the famous Cabernet Sauvignon Château, and unlike Burgundy, the wines of Bordeaux are classified by the Château, or winery. Château d’Issan is a Third Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification of wineries from first to fifth growth. This ranking of wineries was completed in 1855 to reveal the quality of Bordeaux wines at the World Trade Fair that was held in Paris that year. Margaux wines are known for their beautiful balance of power and elegance from well-draining gravel dominated soils.
