48 hours along the Serein

Burgundy-Franche-Comté/2024

Chablis. Oenophiles raise their glasses, gourmands reach for their spits to catch the andouillette spinning on the rotisserie. The mere mention of the name Chablis makes mouths water all over France. And from Quimper to Menton, it's hard to remain indifferent when a restaurant menu reads: "andouillette à la chablisienne".

Yet it would be a pity to reduce the town to this simple appetizing idea. Whatever the season, Chablis offers many pleasures for all the senses, starting with its well-preserved, ancient architecture, with half-timbered houses like those found in neighboring Sens or Auxerre, Troyes or Provins. The Burgundian market is held on Sunday mornings. Chablis is also renowned for its wines. The four appellations - petit chablis, chablis, chablis premier cru and chablis grand cru - all use the chardonnay grape, which flourishes particularly well on the vineyard slopes around the town. The specificity and reputation of these dry whites are largely due to the quality of the terroir, in particular the soils formed in the Mesozoic era, after the sea had receded. Nearly 150 million years later, today's winegrowers benefit from these successive layers of Jurassic, Portlandian, limestone, Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian, the latter a millefeuille of limestone layers and clayey marl containing fossilized marine organisms. The soil remembers this maritime passage, giving Chablis wines their inimitable mineral and iodine aromas. Since last year, the Cité des climats et vins de Bourgogne has been housed in the historic Pontigny cellar, a reminder of the historical importance of Pontigny Abbey. A visit to Pontigny Abbey is an excellent pretext for touring the region via the lovely Serein valley, which babbles from one commune to the next, and each crossing of the river over its ancient bridges is a delight. From Pontigny, staying on the "Serein", you'll reach Ligny-le-Châtel, then Chablis, before frolicking in the medieval jewel that is Noyers, and ending this short walk at L'Isle-sur-Serein, where the countryside is so pretty. Noyers-sur-Serein, commonly known as Noyers, has remains dating back to Antiquity, but its main attraction lies in its well-preserved 15th-16th century part, bearing witness to the town's importance until the end of the 16th century - only the château, destroyed by Henri IV, has not survived. The architecture plays with the meandering river in a charming interweaving, which has attracted numerous film and TV shoots - La Grande Vadrouille, Molière and, for TV, Le Chevalier de Pardaillan and Une famille formidable. The village is a member of the association of France's most beautiful villages.