Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Winery: | Chavy-Chouet |
Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Chavy-Chouet Meursault Les Casse Tetes is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
A "casse tête" in French is a conundrum or puzzle and the name of this plot refers to the hardness of the soil and the challenge it was for our ancestors to plant vines on this pebbly limestone ground.
Surface Area : 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares)
Age of the vines: 45 years old
Planting density : 10,000 vines per hectares
Soil Type : Limestone
Tasting notes: Concentrated, powerful, and lively, Les Casse-Têtes is the very quintessence of the Meursault appellation. Its sophistication, structure, and assured elegance reflect the character of the soil.
Chavy-Chouet Puligny Montrachet Permier Cru Les Champs Gain is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The wine is produced from 100% Chardonnay coming from the top of the hills of Puligny-Montrachet. The rocky soil of the steep slopes is rich in limestone.
Champs-Gain is a fine and subtle wine with fresh and lively citrus notes. Over time, it delicately reveals notes of very ripe yellow fruits.
The vineyard measures 0.3 hectare with a plenting density of 10,000 vines per hectare.
100% Chardonnay of 30 years of age.
Ageing in oak barrels for 12 months (20% new).
Review:
"The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Champs Gain 1er Cru, one of the last vines to be picked, even after the reds, has a well-defined bouquet of slate-like aromas, very cool and almost Zen-like in style. The palate is well balanced with a sappy entry and a fine bead of acidity. Taut and focused, if just needing a tad more grip on the finish. It will deserve 2–4 years in bottle.- Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2020), 91 pts
Domaine Tollot-Beaut Les Vercots Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru 2018 is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Tollot-Beaut's Les Vercots Premier Cru is rustic and robust with aromas and flavors of red cherries, spice, and earth with substantial weight and ripe tannins.
Red Burgundy might be the world's most flexible food wine. The wine's high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make it very food-friendly. Red Burgundy, with its earthy and sometimes gamey character, is a classic partner to roasted game birds, grilled duck breast, and dishes that feature mushrooms, black truffles, or are rich in umami.
Review:
Marked by alluring black cherry and violet aromas and flavors, this red also has intensity and structure. Iron, earth and spice elements add depth. Has a nice silkiness to offset the light burr of tannins on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2035.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Bavencoff Meursault Blanc Premier Cru is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pale yellow in color, this is very charming with a rich bouquet of white fruits, grilled almonds and buttery aromas. The palate is ample, full-bodied and smooth. The delicate brioche flavors come beautifully before its fresh finish on citrus notes.
Aging: 100% oak barrels – 10 to 12 months
Manual harvest.
Produced fromp 100% Chardonnay.
Thanks to its clay rich soil, the vineyard produces a rich, opulent and luscious wine that can be enjoyed young. This is a powerful and elegant white Burgundy, expressive, fresh and fruity with intense and strong flavors. Unctuous and well-textured in the mouth with a distinguished acidity.
The array of intense aromas and exceptional balance will allow the wine to go with the most delicate yet intense dishes: rump of veal, crawfish, grilled lobster, risotto with morels.
Bavencoff Pernand Vergelesses Premier Cru Blanc is made from Chardonnay.
The wine offers a white gold or pale yellow color turning into darker gold with age. It boasts aromas of white flowers, (may, acacia) developing into notes of amber, honey and spices. On the palate it is mineral, harmonious and easy to like.
Aged in new oak barrels (Allier).
Sushi, fresh-water fish in white sauce, and for pasta or a seafood risotto.
Nicolas Potel Domaine de Bellene Beaune Premier Cru Vieilles Vignes Hommage a Francoise Potel is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
A blend of five premier cru climats, this homage to Nicolas Potel’s late mother has a lovely and engaging aroma that combines delicate floral nuances with finely structured dark cherry and blueberry fruit. Even some cranberry emerges on the superbly focused mid-palate. A very elegant wine, with fine length.
Review:
- Wine Spectator 92 Points
Chavy-Chouet Meursault Premier Cru Les Genevrieres is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Fruity flavors and typical nutty nuances.The Genevrières parcels are located in the heart of Meursault's southern premiers crus. "Genevrieres" takes its name from the presence, years ago, of the juniper bushes which covered its slope, and it is sometimes said that the tang of this aromatic berry can be detected in the wine.
The Genevrières parcels are located in the heart of Meursault's southern premiers crus. "Genevrieres" takes its name from the presence, years ago, of the juniper bushes which covered its slope, and it is sometimes said that the tang of this aromatic berry can be detected in the wine.
Fruity flavors and typical nutty nuances.
The Domaine Chavy-Chouet Estate
Romaric Chavy took over the estate in 2014, making him the eighth generation to make wine in his family. Romaric learned from his father, Hubert Chavy, who founded the winery. Chavy-Chouet is one of the oldest families in Puligny-Montrachet. The Ropiteau family (on his mother's side) is the oldest one in Meursault.
Hubert Chavy (known not only for his winemaking but also for his charisma) was able to train Romaric in for a few years before his passing in early 2014. Romaric has become a very smart vigneron with a great philosophy. Making wine has come naturally to him, as if often does in Burgundy when you are next in line.
After six years at a specialist winemaking school and with plenty of experience in winegrowing and vinification around the world under his belt, Romaric has given the estate a makeover, watching over his 15 hectares of vines with a rigorous eye. He is proud of his roots, and his approach combines rigor, tradition, and innovation.
A group from Kysela visits Chavy-Chouet in January each year, carrying on a tradition of tasting from barrels, then bottles, and then finishing with some mystery wines. The group has to guess the appellation and the vintage of wines being poured from magnums...a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
This is a 15 hectare-domaine (37 acres) that produces wine from 14 A.O.C.'s (80% White, 20% Red). The vineyard is divided into 70 parcels planted to vines that are 40 years old or more. He uses Gillet as his cooper, who blends oak from Nevers, Limousin and Allier forests. The barrels receive medium toast. Romaric, just as his father, Hubert, does not fine or filter his wines, as he prefers their purity to shine through.
The winery covers 1,300 square meters, including 800 square meters of cellars, and is a mix of ancient and ultra-modern. The set-up allows him to work hand-in-hand with nature in a well-managed yet pleasant environment, and to meet his very high demands in terms of quality. The wines are put into barrels using gravity, intervention is kept to a minimum, and an irreproachable attitude to cleanliness also symbolize his quest for excellence in the shape of pure and balanced wines that burst with energy.
A corked bottle of 1983 Pichon-Lalande led to my inaugural visit to this Meursault domaine. My precious Pauillac corked, I ordered a bottle of 2015 Bourgogne Les Femelottes from Chavy-Chouet at Brat restaurant in London. It was so damn delicious that I ordered another and emailed winemaker Romaric Chavy that I must visit pronto.
Arriving at the gates, I noticed that there was no doorbell or knocker. When I was noticed loitering outside, the gates finally opened and Romaric Chavy informed me that they do without a doorbell because they have so many visitors. Chavy is a young and confident guy, very media-savvy, which is uncommon in Burgundy. He worked abroad in various countries including South Africa and Greece before taking over Chavy-Chouet at the age of just 22. Before tasting through the 2017s, which had all been bottled, I asked about the background of the domaine.
“The holdings come from two sides of my grandfather’s family. Chavy comes from Puligny-Montrachet, and his wife was part of the Ropiteau family in Meursault. Back then, he sold the wines to Bouchard Père. It was my own father, Hubert, who started bottling his own wine when he married his wife from Pommard and bought this house in Meursault. I started at the domaine in 2006 when we were still selling off grapes. I already had a good network [of potential clients] and so we started to bottle everything and develop exports. My father passed away in 2014. Now we have 15 hectares, mostly old vines located in five villages, producing around 90,000 bottles, of which around 90% is exported. We have three or four people working full-time and we work in a classical way - lutte raisonée and ploughing in the vineyard. This year we approached half the vineyard organically, but when the pressure became too high, we switched back and used spray. We press the fruit for two hours, with a 24-hour debourbage, and then ferment in barrel using natural yeast, a maximum of 20% new oak for between 9 and 12 months, with no lees stirring and a light filtration before bottling. We try to keep as much natural CO2 as possible.”
It is always a pleasure to discover a producer who has skimmed under your Burgundy radar for some time. Chavy-Chouet has built a loyal following here in the UK and I can understand why. These wines are very pure, terroir-driven and focused. Yet they are not challenging or pretentious and give much sensory pleasure. As I mentioned, you can splash the cash on a Premier Cru white if you wish, but do not ignore the 2017 Bourgogne Blanc Les Femelottes. It is unequivocally Village Cru in quality – no real surprise given that its vines are adjacent to Puligny-Village. The 2017 Meursault Charmes is an absolute knockout, whilst the monopole Clos des Corvées de Citeau is superb. This is an address I will definitely return to in the future, though I have made a mental note to phone ahead, so that I can actually get in. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (2017 Burgundy: A Modern Classic, January 2019)
The Grand Vin is the 2017 Harlan Estate, and this beauty just about jumps from the glass with its pure cassis and blackcurrant fruits as well as notes of tobacco, graphite, crushed stone, and spice. With a full-bodied, expansive mouthfeel, building, velvety tannins, and a layered, seamless style that offers way more pleasure than just about every other wine in the vintage, bottles can be enjoyed any time over the coming 20-25 years.
- Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
The 2017 Harlan Estate is superb. Deep, inky and wonderfully expressive, the 2017 is impeccably rendered. All the elements come together effortlessly. The nervous tannins of the vintage are evident, but there is also plenty of sumptuousness. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of red-toned fruit and floral notes that are surprising for a year with massive heat spike. The 2017 is polished and sophisticated to the core. In a word: impressive.
-- Antonio Galloni - 96+ Points
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Harlan Estate needs a little coaxing to reveal captivating iron ore, red currant jelly, cloves and crushed rocks scents with a core of warm cassis, Black Forest cake and boysenberries plus a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm, grainy texture with a lively backbone and loads of earthy layers, long and mineral laced. This should be one of the longer-lived wines coming out of the 2017 vintage.
"2018 had a certain sense of ease to it," Bill Harlan said as we tasted the barrel sample of the next iteration of this iconic label. "The pace was wonderful." "Mother nature was allowing us an extended runway," winemaker Cory Empting agreed. "We just started picking and couldn’t stop."
-Wine Advocate 97+ Points
This is fully loaded, with waves of dense yet succulent blackberry, black currant and fig preserves that move along steadily, pulling roasted apple wood, dark bay leaf, espresso cream and humus notes along. A bolt of cast iron emerges through the finish, remaining well-encased in the fruit and adding prodigious length and stability. A fairly tremendous wine, especially considering the vintage. Best from 2022 through 2040. 2,040 cases made.
-Wine Spectator 97 Points
Matheus Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling is made from 100 percent Riesling.
QBA stands for "Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete", which means that the wine comes from one of the 13 designated wine regions.
A beautiful wine with delicate perfumed aromas. Medium bodied, well balanced, filled with peaches and green apples, crisp and fresh acidity.