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Domaine Chavy-Chouet, Meursault “Les Narvaux”

Burgundy, France 2016 (750mL)
$65.00
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Domaine Chavy-Chouet, Meursault “Les Narvaux”

Anyone cozy with the wines of Meursault knows the persuasive powers of one of my favorite vineyards, the Premier Cru “Les Genevrières,” but there are a couple sites in the hillside above it that provide incomparable lift and energy while preserving the signature panache of classic Meursault. “Les Narvaux” is one of these steep, secreted sites, and it’s overlooked by many consumers merely because it doesn’t have a ‘premier designation’ sprawled across its label. But, if you were to blind taste wines from this unique site alongside bigger-ticket vineyards and names, today’s bottle would more than holds its own.
There is always an air of excitement when the underdog not only competes, but beats, the big boys and Chavy-Chouet does it with such grace. “Les Narvaux” is a micro-parcel wine of barely one acre of ancient, family-owned vines. To articulate this beautiful terroir, excess oak and fruit is avoided, making this one of the purest examples of site-expressive Meursault each year—and 2016 is a downright winner. If you like Burgundy, minerality, and immensely layered, age-worthy wines, today’s limited Meursault is for you. That said, we only have enough stock to offer four bottles per person today—I’d strongly recommend taking your limit!
Chavy-Chouet has become an unstoppable force: In a matter of decades, this family-run, Meursault-based estate has acquired small parcels of prime real estate and bottled some of Côte de Beaune’s tastiest whites (they make a small amount of fine red, too). During their expansion, they have stuck to lutte raisonnée (‘reasoned fight’) farming practices while managing to be completely organic in some years. That’s quite a feat for a domaine with approximately 30 acres of vines divided into 70 different plots. Proprietor Hubert Chavy-Chouet established the domaine in 1982, but its relative ‘youth’ is irrelevant: He was the sixth generation in his family to make wine, and his son, Romaric, recently became the seventh. So, while the estate itself may be relatively new, the family has a rich history that shows in their wines. 

You may be unfamiliar with the “Les Narvaux” vineyard, and that’s fine—most everyone is! Like the neighboring “Les Tillets” vineyard, these two sites are considered “village” by the AOC standards, but they are both supreme sites for high-altitude, fascinatingly complex Chardonnay.  Chavy-Chouet barely owns one acre here and, as with all their land holdings, they are adamant about practicing organic farming. They utilize high-density planting—about 4,000 vines per acre—which is desirable, as many vignerons believe each vine must vigorously fight for the soil’s nutrients and rainfall. All grapes are hand harvested and after a completely natural fermentation, the wine is transferred into French oak barrels (20% new) for 12 months. Fining and filtration is avoided to preserve the wine’s purity.

Chavy-Chouet’s 2016 “Les Narvaux” reflects a straw yellow core with ultra-bright platinum hues moving to a clear, slight green rim. The nose releases electric notes of candied lime peel, apple blossoms, quince, white peach, toasted almonds, honeysuckle, acacia, yellow flowers, crushed chalk, gunflint, and a touch of baking spices. Though a youthful wine, the wine dances around your palate with surprising concentration and body (although no one will mistake this for the ultra-richness of 2015). Tactile minerality is interwoven with endless layers of racy citrus fruits and backed by an enormously fresh lift of acidity on the finish. Intense florality and minerality meld into a citrus and stone fruit-dominated palate, which will be immediately apparent once your tongue begins salivating. I cannot wait to see how this wine evolves over the coming years, and my guess is that this 2016 will be entering its peak drinking window by its fifth birthday. Still, open a couple now and decant for one hour; it will provide more pleasure than you bargained for. Serve in Burgundy stems at a steady 55 degrees and follow the dazzling preparation of seared black cod and meyer lemon risotto with a quick-and-easy gremolata. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceMeursault
Soil
Limestone & Clay
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
20% New French
TEMP.
55
Glassware
Large Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2030
Decanting
One Hour
Pairing
Seared Black Cod w/ Risotto & Gremolata

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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