2010 Patrick Piuze Chablis
Montée de Tonnerre | Butteaux | Blanchots | Les Clos
One Shot at the Daunting 2010s
Patrick Piuze is not Raveneau or Dauvissat - yet that doesn't stop nearly everyone from making the comparisons.
And the truth of the matter is that the styles, the monumentality of the wines are very similar - as is the ruthless vineyard work, the hand-harvesting, the vinification in old barrels, the bottling without filtering.
Piuze's Chablis are dense with concentration, indeed there is a textural element in his Chablis that speaks directly to the two great masters - all of them seem able to translate the stone and mineral that so dominate Chablis into something powerful, gushing, yet always, always, transparent. That's the real thrill.
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| Patrick Piuze |
On only his third vintage, Patrick's arrival on the Chablis scene with his 2008s sent shock waves across this Kimmeridgean-laden landscape; his 2009s were even better.
With each passing vintage the praise only grows, from John Gilman to Allen Meadows. We have supported these wines from the beginning, still... allocations are tight and Piuze is becoming a rock star. So it goes - he deserves it... the wines deserve it.
Today, we present the daunting 2010 lineup: For anyone serious about Chablis, these wines are not to be missed.
If these wines are not inexpensive, in the context of the greats of Chablis, they are dramatically discounted... a situation that is not likely to remain given Piuze's growing reputation and the rather small production.
Each of the vineyards/wines on offer today have their own voice: Butteaux the searing, little-sister that always overwhelms, Montee de Tonnerre the 1er Cru with Grand Cru muscle; Blanchots lacy and lean, Clos the majestic, near-immortal Chablis with everything.
Full Burghound notes on all the bottles are below - these are worth reading.
As we've written before, it will be interesting to see what the landscape of Chablis looks like in 20 years. There was a time when Raveneau was hardly known here, when allocations were not so difficult and pricing, well, reasonable. We think it's a rather safe bet that Piuze's wines will very soon be neither as available nor as affordable.
These wines arrive in mid to late March - all orders are subject to confirmation. Please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463 to place your order.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Burghound: "An appealingly layered nose of white flowers, lime, oyster shell and mineral reduction complements well the textured, intense and mouth coating flavors that possess overt power and muscle on the impressively concentrated finish. This is almost painfully intense and delivers positively huge length. One to look for."
Burghound: "An elegant, airy and admirably pure nose offers up aromas of fresh white flowers, sea breeze, mineral reduction and that exclusively Chablis-like hint of iodine. There is impressive and focused power to the concentrated, intense and driving big-bodied flavors that explode on the stunningly long and citrus-infused finish. It was necessary to pause after this wine as it seems to assault the palate."
Burghound: "An elegant, pure, airy and wonderfully complex nose of cool white flowers, pear and shellfish gives way to rich, full powerful yet refined medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent intensity and outstanding length. I very much like the balance and this is textbook Blanchots with its lacy mouth feel and pungent minerality.
Burghound: "A highly floral nose also features notes of mineral reduction, white peach and tidal pool where the latter element also characterizes the rich, intense and overtly powerful and muscular flavors that coat the palate with dry extract on the opulent yet precise and explosive long finish that is bone dry. This is certainly an imposing version of Les Clos with excellent underlying material though at present, it can't quite match the overall complexity of the Valmur."