I know the term “rock star” is way overused to describe talented people who aren’t rock stars, but when Patrick Piuze started his own domaine in Chablis, in 2008, it had the feel of an important album release—as in, “Led Zeppelin I” or “Licensed to Ill” important (the latter ranked #1 on Rolling Stone’s “Best Debut Albums of All Time” list). A native of Quebec, Piuze is one of those force-of-nature types who attracts the best people to his orbit, and in a relatively short amount of time he’s assembled a network of growers who supply him with the raw material for his dizzying array of Chablis bottlings.
Piuze has become one of our “pet” producers over our three years in business, and his value-oriented Val de Mer line has been a favorite of our subscribers. We have a small parcel of some of his top-of-the-line wines, from the stellar 2015 vintage, no less. None of these small-production bottlings—Piuze’s Premier Crus “Roncieres” and Butteaux,” and his Grand Crus “Bougros” and “Preuses”—were made available to us in large-enough quantities to offer individually, so we bundled them up. It’s amazing opportunity to take a deep dive into one of the great minds of modern Chablis.
Piuze makes a lot of wine, or rather, he releases so many different terroir-specific bottlings it’s hard to keep track. He is as obsessive about his village-level wines (of which there are several, each labeled according to vineyard location/orientation) as his Premier and Grand Crus. All of the fruit for Piuze’s range is sustainably farmed and hand-harvested, and his Premier and Grand Cru wines are fermented and aged in used oak barrels (whereas many Chablis houses prefer to ferment in stainless steel). His wines display uncommon depth and texture without losing their sense of place.
Here’s a quick rundown of the different vineyards showcased in this 4-pack:
Premier Cru “Butteaux” is on the “left bank” of the Serein River, with a southeastern exposure. It is a “sub-climate” of the Montmains Premier Cru with the classic Chablis mix of Kimmeridgian limestone and clay. Expect a more brisk, tightly wound expression here.
Premier Cru “Roncières” is part of the “Vaillons” Premier Cru, and this 2015 is Patrick’s first release from the site. It has an even more easterly aspect than “Butteaux,” and, like Butteaux, a greater proportion of limestone to clay than many Premier Cru sites. This, too, is a taut, laser-sharp Chardonnay with an almost peppery minerality.
Grand Cru “Les Preuses” is, of course, on the “right bank” of the Serein, amid the west/southwest-facing cluster of Grand Crus. This orientation results in deeper, more focused wines with pronounced minerality. Piuze’s bottling comes from 35-year-old vines and is a profound expression of the site, with amazing floral aromatics and serious length. It will age for a decade or more with ease (as will all of these, really).
Grand Cru “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.
Obviously this 4-pack would make for an incredibly informative (and delicious) side-by-side tasting, which is tempting to suggest given the generosity of the 2015 vintage. If enjoying these wines now, be sure to decant them 60-90 minutes before serving in large Burgundy stems (and, as always, allow the temperature to climb to about 50-55 degrees). Otherwise, you’re wise to squirrel these away and re-visit them about 5 years from now, when I suspect they’ll be absolutely explosive. This is a magical combination of vintage/producer/vineyard(s)—don’t miss it!
