2011 Patrick Piuze Chablis Bougros Côte de Bouqueyreaux Grand Cru

Compelling notes of slate, crushed rocks, smoke, peaches flow from the 2011 Chablis Bougros Côte de Bouqueyreaux. This intensely mineral yet rich, textured wine is utterly compelling for its beguiling, multi-dimensional personality. The Côte de Bouqueyreaux is utterly vivid in the glass. There is plenty of promise here. Piuze reported he had a few issue with frost and hail, but the wine itself is gorgeous.

Compelling notes of slate, crushed rocks, smoke, peaches flow from the 2011 Chablis Bougros Cote de Bouqueyreaux. This intensely mineral yet rich, textured wine is utterly compelling for its beguiling, multi-dimensional personality. The Cote de Bouqueyreaux is utterly vivid in the glass. There is plenty of promise here. Piuze reported he had a few issue with frost and hail, but the wine itself is gorgeous. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Patrick Piuze is one of the most thoughtful producers in Chablis, so it is hardly a surprise that these wines continue to show significant improvement. One of the developments over the last year or so has been an experimentation with an old-fashioned mechanical press, which Piuze thinks may give him wines with a greater capacity to age, even if they are a bit tougher upon release. Given the considerable attention, and frankly mystery, that still surrounds the premature oxidation of white Burgundies, it is going to be very interesting to see what this approach yields. Piuze recently took over a section of the old Vocoret cellars in the center of town, which gives him some additional space, which was much needed. Unlike most of his peers, Piuze works exclusively with purchased fruit, most of it from vineyards he farms directly or supervises. Piuze makes a number of fabulous wines, but of particular interest are the "Terroir" series wines, which seek to highlight the unique qualities of each of the main villages within the Chablis appellation. As far as I know, no one else is making wines like this. Piuze bottled some of his 2011s early. Those wines were left on their lees for their entire elevage. I tasted the rest of the 2011s from barrel, where they had never been racked. As for the 2010s, Piuze is one of the few producers who is quite frank in saying he is not a huge fan of the vintage. Accordingly, Piuze chose not to bottle magnums for any of his wines. Various American importers, including: David Bowler Wine, New York, NY; (212) 807-1680, Aliane Wines, La Jolla, CA; tel. (858) 361-4529