Patrick Piuze

Country: Chablis - France

Region: Burgundy


Patrick Piuze - Chablis Winemaker

After running a wine bar in Montreal for two years, Patrick Piuze moved to Burgundy in 2000 and for his first autumn there he spent the harvest with Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet. Shortly after, Piuze was entrusted with the vinification of Laflaive’s new Chablis project and Patrick spent four years there honing his skills as a winemaker. Next, he spent a year at Verget with Jean-Marie Guffens where he developed a passion for exploring the distinct terroirs of Chablis. At this point in his career, he was earning recognition for the high quality wines he was making and after just a year at Verget, Jean-Marc Brocard recruited him to be cellar master and head wine maker. During this period, Piuze realized there was much more he was capable of achieving and made the most important decision of his life: to set out on his own and bottle under his own name. Not one to ease into things slowly, his first vintage in 2008 consisted of 20 different bottlings, all Chablis except for one.
Piuze purchases all his fruit (never must or juice) and focuses on sourcing grapes from old-vines situated in prime locations. Interestingly, these vineyards are available because their location on the slopes makes them more difficult to work and impossible to machine harvest. This suits Piuze since he chooses to harvest every vineyard by hand anyway, even at the Petit Chablis and Village level! He has long-term contracts with his growers and only works with producers who are practicing sustainable viticulture. He has his own wine-making facility where he uses temperature controlled steel tanks and only used barrels for the fermentation and élevage – no new oak here. The approach in the cellar is hands-off; indigenous yeasts are used and nothing is added nor taken away. Piuze believes that Chardonnay is perfect for showcasing the expression of the various terroirs of Chablis, and each of his many bottlings captures a distinctive facet of the region.
Patrick Piuze is obsessed with drawing out the essence of terroir and every bottle is very specific, highlighting the parcels that the wines come from. Although he bottles Bougros he breaks it down even further singling out the .12 hectares of Bougros “Cote de Bouqueyreaux”; same with Vaillons and the .29 hectares of Vaillons “les Minots”. Even his entry-level wines, where most producers would blend plots together, he bottles five separate “Terroir” cuvees at the Villages level, each labeled with the name of the village of origin.
Despite doing nearly all the work himself, Piuze seems to have limitless energy and drive. He seems to be in a constant state of excitement and his incredible wines echo his liveliness and sincerity. Though his first vintage was just in 2008, Piuze already has the makings of a legendary producer.

“A truly thrilling new producer of hand-crafted Chablis.” Jancis Robinson MW

 

Patrick Piuze Collection


Chablis “Terroir de Chablis” Price € 31.00

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Chablis “Terroir de Chablis” – Patrick Piuze

Sensory Features: Patrick Piuze Chablis Terroir de Chablis is textbook Chablis with its fine blend of lemon, apple, chalky minerality, a touch of straw and a floral top note. On the palate the wine is full, long and intensely flavoured, with lovely soil signature, good acidity with an impressive grip on the long and vibrant finish. An excellent village wine.

The Terroir de Chablis is hand picked, completely unoaked and vinified in stainless steel tanks. Therefore, the terroir is what dominates here with intense minerality and puckering acidity.

Grape Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol Content: 12%

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Chablis “Terroir de Fye” Price € 31.00

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Chablis “Terroir de Fye” - Patrick Piuze

Brilliant very pale straw colour with a faint greenish tinge on the edges and a watery hue. Delicate ripe pear scents are followed by green apple, lightly spiced fresh herbs and wet stone end notes. Slightly fuller texturally than the Terroir de Chablis the palate exhibits a light subtle flavour profile of pears, citrus, wet stone and mineral. Clean dry finish. Aftertaste of pear, wet stone and mineral.

The Terroir de Fye is hand picked, completely unoaked and vinified in stainless steel tanks. Therefore, the terroir is what dominates here with intense minerality and puckering acidity.

Grape Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol Content: 12%

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Chablis Premier Cru "Butteaux" Price € 63.50

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Sensory features: Pale, bright yellow-green. White peach, mint and chalk on the nose. Sweet on entry, then quite firm in the middle, with yellow fruit and nutmeg flavours complicated by salty and cool minty qualites. Finishes chalky and lightly tannic, with a touch of youthful bitterness. These vines are planted east-west, which means that the sun is always on top of the vineyard. This is superb wine.

From 75 year old vines on Kimmeridgian limestone and clay soil. Butteaux is a sub-climate of 1er Cru Montmains.

Grape variety: Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13.5%

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Chablis Grand Cru "Bougros" Price € 79.50

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Sensory featuresPale, bright green-yellow. Aromas of lemon peel and white grapefruit are complemented by honeyed high tones on the nose. Gives an initially sweet impression but the wine's white peach fruit and silky texture are leavened by bright acidity. Concentrated, energetic and quite long, with a lightly tannic finish.

From vines that are located on the plateau. Fermented and aged in 6 and 7 years old (neutral) barrels.

Grape variety: Chardonnay

Alcohol content: 12.5%

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