Domaine Jolly: Boutique Expressions in Chablis
One of the great joys of being a family in the wine business is discovering other like-minded families who are equally as passionate about quality.
Such is the case with the Jolly family who, for four generations, have been quietly producing incredible expressions of the Chablis terroir at their boutique estate in Maligny, just a few miles north of Burgundy’s famous Chablis village.
Proprietor Denis Jolly, along with his wife and two sons, is keenly focused on coaxing out the best of the region’s famed Kimmeridgean and Portlandian (Tithonian) soils.
Their vineyard holdings span 17 hectares / 42 acres and, as per AOC regulations, chardonnay is the only variety grown. The estate produces wines from three appellations: Petit Chablis, Chablis, and the Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume climat of “L’Homme Mort.”
Terroir & Viticulture
Chablis’ claim to fame is the magical mineral character of its Kimmeridgian soils (argilo-calcaire in French). This spectacular chalky dirt is littered with tiny, ancient marine skeletons (exogyra virgula) found in particular concentration on the banks of the Serein River and along the slopes above the side valleys. Portlandian (Tithonian) soils are also present, a hard limestone with less clay, typically of the higher, cooler vineyards of Petit Chablis.
Domaine Jolly has vineyards in Petit Chablis (4.5 hectares / 11 acres; average vine age 3 to 30 years), Chablis (13.4 hectares / 33 acres; average vine age 3 to 60 years), and Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume (.6 hectares / 1.5 acres withing the famed climat of L’Homme Mort; average vine age 40 years old).
Winemaking at Domaine Jolly
The Jolly family and vineyard team harvest their grapes mechanically before crushing in a pneumatic press. The musts are placed in a static settling tank before fermentation in in thermo-regulated, stainless-steel vats. All wines are estate bottled.
