By: AJ McClellan
We had Patrick Piuze in to taste us on his 2009 lineup of Chablis. The wines were fantastic! 2009 was Patrick’s second vintage but his time at Verget, Oliver Leflaive, and Jean Marc Brocard paid off in spades. Patrick does not believe in manipulating his wines, immediately making him a great producer in my book. He says making wine is like raising a child; “you don’t want them to grow up to be an exact replica of you. You can guide them but you want them to take on their own personality and eventually their own goals, then over time their goals become your goals.”
From left to right: Winemaker Patrick Piuze, Importer Todd Mathis, and member Matt Johnson.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis Terroir de Chichee - Big limestone with lemon zest and key lime, loads of citrus on the nose. The palate is broader than expected with wet stone, flint and steel. Some summer flowers underline the backend with a crisp zing on the palate. Classic Chablis.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis Terroir de Fye - Slight toast on the nose with big melon, tropical pineapple, lime zest, and green apple. The Palate was a little fatter with less minerality than the Chichee showing what can only be described as Granny Smith apple smeared over limestone.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Fourchaume – The nose was pleasant with slices of white peach and peach stone mixed with bananas and summer flowers, the backend showed hints of steel but the nose overall was slightly muted. The Palate was fat and creamy with tropical fruits and a slab of limestone but the finish was flat, falling off very quickly.
Patrick Showing us where in Chablis his wines are from.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Vaucoupin – Big schist on the nose with green apple. Steely on the palate with a hollow middle, notes of red and green apples with a touch of pear. Round body with a mild finish.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Montee de Tonnerre – A perfumed yellow flower nose with a slight caramel note and hints of toast backed by cooked yellow pear and blanched apples. The palate is full and complex with a laser like acidity showing fresh lemons, lemonade, and green apples with a hint of pineapple. Great finish of schist and limestone.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Butteaux – I was very impressed with this wine. Yellow roses with caramel green apples, pear wax, and under ripe pears on the nose. The palate is a splash of cool water after a hot day. Screeching acidity with a mouthful of white peach and crumbled white rock in the front with a backing of banana fosters and a hint of small wild strawberries. Great bottle of Chablis.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Bougros - Huge array of white fruits with a great backing of flint and steel and a great minerality on the nose. The palate showed pear wax, thin butterscotch, and big steel. A stunning acidity reminds me of sitting on a steep limestone hillside biting into a fresh frosty lemon picked from a nearby tree. Hints of vanilla with lemon meringue pie with a weighty complex palate. The finish shows cooked Granny apples, white summer flowers and a shaving razor of acidity.
2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Bougros cote de Bouqueyreaux – Once you stick your nose in this wine you know it is going to be brilliant. Big peach, pear, yellow spring flowers, huge schist, blue rock, notes of bubblegum, and limestone. Layer after layer of great fruit and minerality. The palate is long and complex with white summer flowers, big white peach, flint and steel, and a great finish. Excellent bottle of wine.