Wine, etc.: Chablis is 'the purest expression of chardonnay'

For a long time we couldn't understand why the French didn't join the crowd and simply put the grape variety on the labels of their wines. Why did consumers have to guess what grape was used for a wine from Sancerre or Beaujolais?

Then came several weeks of tasting chablis made by producers like Vincent Dauvissat, Domaine Laroche and Domaine William Fevre. Now we understand - there is chardonnay, then there is chablis. They are not the same.

The most noble and prolific white grape, chardonnay is grown in just about every wine country. It commands the world's attention because of its familiarity across borders, and...