Whilst waiting for a plane to Montpellier at Gatwick Airport the other day my wife treated me to some smoked salmon and a glass of dry white wine at the Caviar House wine bar; she must have been feeling rich.
I took one sniff of the wine and guessed correctly, blind, that it was Chablis as it had all the mineral and stony flavour consistent with wine from the region.
How did I get it right first time? I can't do this with many other wines. Well Chablis has the distinctive and inimitable taste of the appellation. No other wine region in the world can mimic this taste even if they use Chardonnay grapes and have a cool climate. It is something to do with the unique soil and climate of the Chablis area and the way the wine is made. This is why I love Chablis it has the distinctive taste of its own and it goes so well with fish and fowl. Chablis has no need for varietal labelling.
Being able to recognise a wine also stems from familiarity with it. My wife's family come from the region and we drink the wine so often.. We can also recognise other wines from the area such as Irancy and Epineuil just by giving them one sniff. Our taste buds and sense of smell are no better than anyone else but familiarity with a distinctive tasting wine helps.
This is why I love Chablis, Irancy and Epineuil so much; they have a style and quality all of their own which no other wine producing area can copy.
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