When I think of Val de Mer I think of other blue-chip producers who find ways to share their expertise and passion with a broader range of consumers, either by expanding their reach to less expensive appellations (as with Marquis d’Angerville’s Domaine du Pelican in the Jura) or launching brands that are value-oriented by design, yet still boast the producer’s pedigree (as with J.L. Chave’s négociant line in the Rhône). Val de Mer is, above all, a reflection of Patrick Piuze’s intimate knowledge of Chablis’ vineyards and his deep, cooperative relationships with growers. As with his own wines, he has access to most of the greatest sites in Chablis with which to work his magic.

“Bougros” is on the western end of the south/southwest-facing amphitheater where all of the Chablis Grand Crus are situated. It sits downslope from “Les Preuses” and is said to have a richer proportion of clay mixed with the signature limestone of Chablis, a soil structure experts say makes Bougros wines a touch richer and rounder than their Grand Cru brethren. I certainly found considerable richness in Val de Mer’s Bougros, but I also found an underlying structure of serious minerality and acid. As generous as this wine was after about an hour in a decanter, I can’t wait to see where it is in 2020. Or 2025. It’s got the stuffing to get there for sure.

Harvested by hand, spontaneously fermented, and aged in used barrels only, Val de Mer’s 2013 Bougros is a glinting greenish-gold in the glass, with an explosive first impression on the nose: golden apple, salted lemon, lime blossom on the fruit side, along with raw hazelnut, wet stones and a little white button mushroom on the earthy/savory side. It is coming into a great drinking period right now, but as I’ve said, it will most definitely reward cellaring. If you’re drinking it now, decant it in advance, serve it just below cellar temperature, and give it a nice big glass to aerate in. As for a food pairing, I’m going to go back to the well for an odd-seeming partner I’ve suggested before: rare or raw beef! As I learned when I was there, this combo is a tradition in Chablis, and it actually makes good sense: you’ve got an iron-rich slab of meat tangling with the fierce, gripping, inimitable minerality of Chablis Chardonnay. Try it, trust me. You’ll like it.

A final word about price: This is a great deal for Grand Cru Burgundy Chardonnay, and when you look at Burgundy as a whole, Chablis is perhaps the last frontier for this combination of nobility/affordability. Maybe that’s why we recommend so much of it—we can’t stop buying it for ourselves!