Something fishy

I ENJoyED ANDy Howard MW’s article on Chablis ( June 2017 issue), until I got to the comment about fossil molluscs, ammonites and other invertebrates being responsible for the shellfish characteristics associated with Chablis. In our heads maybe, but in terms of soil science and geology, unlikely. The late Jurassic period was 152 to 157 million years ago. Do we really believe that dead oysters and squids could retain their seafood aromatics and taste for so many millions of years? And then be able to contribute any character to a wine, after being buried, compressed, heated to form fossils and bedrock and decomposed to create soil? And that’s before we get to the growing body of science from the likes of Professor Alex Maltman highlighting the lack of known process for minerals from the soil to make it into the grape, and wine, in anything like the concentration needed to be discernible. Chablis is a great wine but I’m not sure that dead shellfish and squid are the reason why. Julie Mortimer, Cambridge Andy Howard MW replies: The article attempted to highlight the reasons why wines from Chablis are unique in comparison to Chardonnay-based wines from other parts of the world. There are a number of key factors which influence the style of Chablis. These include (in no particular order): the cool climate; a long history of viticulture; and underlying bedrock/soil characteristics which impact the availability of water and nutrients. I was not suggesting that there are any direct links between the organic matter from sea creatures that died over 150 million years ago but, for whatever reason, a combination of these factors seems to impart Chablis with a unique character. Words such as mineral, shellfish, steely and flinty are often used (perhaps too often!) to describe the flavours and textures found within a wine, even when it is clear that none of those compounds are actually found within the grape. However, many consumers seem to find the use of such descriptive terms useful in helping them appreciate a wine’s flavour and character.