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Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Winery: | Chavy-Chouet |
Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Chavy Chouet Puligny Montrachet Les Enseigneres is 100 percent Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay, aged in 100% new French oak, displaying delightful, crisp, mineral aromas intertwined with toasty and vanilla notes. The result is a well balanced and harmonious Puligny of great finesse.
Aged in 100% New French oak
The Enseigneres is the most renowned of the Puligny-Montrachet villages, thanks to its exceptional geographical and geological location, along with its close neighbors Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet.
Displaying delightful, crisp, mineral aromas intertwined with toasty and vanilla notes. The result is a well-balanced and harmonious Puligny-Montrachet of great finesse and good ageing potential.
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)
Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Summum Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Summum Chardonnay is the unofficial tête de cuvée of our lineup at Evening Land Vineyards. Fruit for Summum comes from just 14 vine rows that form the backbone of the Seven Springs Estate. Here, soils were formed by ancient volcanic eruptions that sent blazing lava down the current vineyard’s slopes – and today, we’re lucky enough to farm our vines in these mineral-laden soils. The 2019 Summum Chardonnay is medium-bodied and bright, marked by flavors of lemon skin, baked apple, and a touch of sweet spice that leads to a satiny, harmonious finish. For a unique taste of Oregon’s rather untapped potential for high-end Chardonnay, this bottle is it.
Review:
Shows dimension and presence, with elegantly multilayered flavors of Meyer lemon, apple skin, yeasty lees and crushed stone that gather richness and steely opulence on the lingering finish. Drink now
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
This is a classic expression of Puligny-Montrachet, where the moderate influence of the oak helps to maintain the subtle floral and fruity aromas of the appellation.
Jean Chartron Clos de la Pucelle Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The scent of flowering linden and acacia trees provides a heady nose to this wine. Initial flavours are charming, suggesting vanilla-based patisseries. The mineral backbone of the wine only suggests itself in the slightest hint of salinity. A wine to be patient with and preserve.
Review:
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Pucelle Ter Cru, which is half the normal yield, spors a very subtle reduction on the nose, but there is fine delineation and focus here. The palate is well balanced with gaod weight, lime mixed with tangerine and nectarine, crisp acidity with a lightly spiced finish. There i real nobility evident here.
-Vinous 92-94 Points
Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Blanc Les Saussots is made from 100 percent Chardonnay. A medium yellow straw color in the glass. On the nose, you will find layers aromas of cured lemon and hints of coconut and mango. On the palate, the juice has clean flavor, fresh acidity, and excellent balance. Vanilla notes follow through to the slightly creamy finish.
The grapes from this wines are grown from the Meursault area. (either outside of the AOC limit or with younger vines).
Seafood, fish, salad or by itself as an aperitif.
Drink this one now or over the next 3 to 4 years.
Domaine Chavy Chouet Meursault Les Narvaux is made from 100% Chardonnay from extremely steep vineyards.
Les Narvaux in Meursault sits at the top of the slope on a steep, shallow, limestone plot.
TW Tasting notes: A lively and balanced wine with aromas of white-fleshed fruit. It offers hints of toasted almond on the nose and is very long on the palate. Mineral and energetic, it will only open up fully after a few years in the cellar. In the top 5 of my top Meursault picks.
60 Year old vine
Ageing: 12 months in French oak barrels (20% new)Planting density: 10000
Surface area: 0.5Ha
Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Blanc Les Saussots is made from 100 percent Chardonnay. A medium yellow straw color in the glass. On the nose, you will find layers aromas of cured lemon and hints of coconut and mango. On the palate, the juice has clean flavor, fresh acidity, and excellent balance. Vanilla notes follow through to the slightly creamy finish.
The grapes from this wines are grown from the Meursault area. (either outside of the AOC limit or with younger vines).
Seafood, fish, salad or by itself as an aperitif.
Drink this one now or over the next 3 to 4 years.
This fine and sensual wine, with hints of blossom and roasted hazelnut, has a concentration that makes it discreet in its youth but powerful over time. Located right next to Puligny-Montrachet, the plot of Les Charmes was planted in 1943 on a sandy clay-limestone soil that produces small, concentrated berries for an intense wine that is perfect for ageing.
Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Blanc Femelottes is made form 100 percent Chardonnay.
This is a charming, rich, focused and delightful white. Medium-bodied with a smooth texture, the wine has a fresh backbone of acidity, clean apple and citrus flavors, and an excellent balance. A most refreshing quaff and one that is great value. A delicate, expressive wine of exceptional quality.
The grapes from this wine are grown from the Puligny-Montrachet area. (either outside of the AOC limit or with younger vines).
The grapes from this wine are grown from the Puligny-Montrachet area. (either outside of the AOC limit or with younger vines).
Aged 10 months in oak barrels (10% new, the rest in 2-3 year old barrels).
Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Rouge La Taupe is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Chavy-Chouet's Pinot Noir is classified as humble Bourgogne Rouge, but the fruit for it comes from an excellent single-vineyard site near Pommard. La Taupe's parcel was once part of the Pommard AOC.
The wine is juicy with a great mouthfeel. It has classic Bourgogne Rouge aromas, with a candied cherry character as well as strawberry, raspberry and spice, yet the structure and length of finish reminds one of a Pommard - ripe & rich with a bigger body.
Average age of the vines: 70 years old.
Density of planting: 10,000 vines per hectare.
Soil: clay
100% distemmed.
Very little intervention. Less pigeage (punch down of the cap) but some remontage (pump-over)
Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Blanc Femelottes is made form 100 percent Chardonnay.
This is a charming, rich, focused and delightful white. Medium-bodied with a smooth texture, the wine has a fresh backbone of acidity, clean apple and citrus flavors, and an excellent balance. A most refreshing quaff and one that is great value. A delicate, expressive wine of exceptional quality.
The grapes from this wine are grown from the Puligny-Montrachet area. (either outside of the AOC limit or with younger vines).
The grapes from this wine are grown from the Puligny-Montrachet area. (either outside of the AOC limit or with younger vines).
Aged 10 months in oak barrels (10% new, the rest in 2-3 year old barrels).
Podere Grattamacco Bolgheri Superiore is made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Sangiovese.
#12 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2022
The olfactory impact is of considerable aromatic intensity: it expands with notes of small, fully ripe red fruits, accompanied by clear balsamic and Mediterranean hints. In progression, typical mineral notes develop. The gustatory impact is austere, of remarkable freshness and of large volume. It develops in a balanced fusion between the broad minerality and the fine and enveloping tannins. Everything is found in the long final persistence that foreshadows a long life ahead.
Goes well with game, as e.g. local preparations of wild boar, roast, braised and stewed red meats, and medium aged cheese.
Review:
Dense and smooth, featuring black cherry, blackberry, plum, iron, licorice and menthol aromas and flavors. Fresh and featuring a spine of tannins, this finishes on the compact side for now. Shows balance, so be patient. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. Best from 2025.
-Wine Spectator 97 Points
The 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco (a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese) is a real beauty and shows very nicely today based on advancing vine age alone. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah vines show great results after seven years, whereas Merlot and Sangiovese vines need a few more years before they start to show that extra degree of complexity, the winemaking team tells me. This is a complete and beautifully balanced wine that shows soft extraction and especially sweet tannins. It fermented in truncated conical oak vats and finished in barrique for 18 months.
-Wine Advocate 97 Points
Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vintage Brut Grand Eclat is 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay from the chalky soils of Chouilly.
This Champagne is full of elegance and finesse. Very complex nose, with a bouquet of aromas dominated by honey, brioche and notes of dried fruits, hazelnuts and sweets. Perfectly matured.