Their Story
Chablis and its vineyards are situated on the sunshine route, mid-way between Beaune and Paris, at the gates of Burgundy.Honoré Geoffroy developed the vineyards over the villages of Beine and La Chapelle Vaupelteigne, in the heart of the Chablis vineyards, around 1850.
Alain Geoffroy expanded the property and took it to the level of an Estate. A worthy heir to previous generations, he commited to keeping the traditional family character.
Backed by the whole family’s hard work for the development of the Domaine, our wines have received many prizes and medals. We have 50 hectares of producing vineyards, and have gathered a young and dynamic team, to produce fresh, fruity Chablis wines with a good mineral character, respecting the typicity of Chablis…
Large stainless-steel tanks are used for the vinification, to preserve the freshness and the typical character of the Chablis wines. Wines made from “vieilles vignes” vines are made in oak barrels. The wines are bottled exclusively on the Estate.
Immediately recognisable by their finesse, their mineral character and their good, long finish, Chablis wines are made from the Chardonnay grape.
Serene and peaceful in your cellar, our wines will be happy to stay and age for a few more years.
Vineyard and Terroir
The Chablis vineyard is one of the oldest in France. It stretches from northern Burgundy through 20 villages, covering more than 5400 hectares. The terroir of Chablis consists of the following elements:
THE CLIMATE
Chablis is located in a continental zone: hot in summer and cold in winter with spectacular spring frosts.
THE TOPOGRAPHY
The Chablis vineyard is located on south/south-east and south-west slopes facing the Serein river. The average altitude is 120 to 150 meters above sea level.
THE SOIL
A major component of the terroir, the Chablis subsoil, consists of lime marl and oyster fossils (kimmeridgian). It is rich and porous, allowing deep rooting of the vines and even water intake.
THE GRAPE VARIETY
Chablis wine is made with one single grape variety: CHARDONNAY (white grape).
Established since 1850, the Alain Geoffroy estate is a family business growing around 50 hectares of vines and producing Chablis wines that uphold the tradition and authenticity of the terroir: fresh and fruity wines with a great mineral imprint.
Today, at the Alain Geoffroy estate, we continue to take good care of our vines so that they give us not simply thirst-quenching wines but subtle and elegant Chablis. All our Chablis are produced on Kimmeridgian geological zones (Jurassic period): our wine’s aromatic richness and strong mineral content comes from this incredible potential of the soil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yXcesX9CUg
Vinification
Climate, soil, work… even when these essential conditions are met, it always takes a little something more for a wine to become a great wine : a winemaker’s “savoir-faire”.From the moment the grapes enter the tanks until the wine is bottled, their wine expert carefully monitors each stage. Alain Geoffroy’s goal is to produce delicate and elegant wines while respecting the typicity of their unique terroir.
During the harvest, when the grapes arrive in the tanks, they immediately press them in pneumatic presses.
Once pressed, the extracted juice is put into stainless steel tanks for static sludge removal for 24 hours to eliminate the larger particles. Then, the wine will undergo alcohol fermentation and, a little later in the winter, malolactic fermentation. Finally, it will be kept in tanks over thin lees for a few months in order to bring out all the flavours and express its complexity.
From this stage, they monitor the natural development of the wine to bring out its full delicacy.
After several months of storage, the wine is prepared for bottling, which is done exclusively at the estate. All our installations comply with hygiene and safety rules. Alain Geoffroy Chablis wines are then stored in air-conditioned buildings. They are kept in corked bottles, in pallet boxes, until they are labelled and packed in Alain Geoofroy’s special unit.
