France · Burgundy · Chablis · White · Still · wine-wine · 1151123
Lowest offer: 56.67 GBP (Buy)
Offers: 3 · Bids: 0
| Price / case | Vintage | Packing | Qty | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 501.60 GBP | 2018 | 6 x 75cl | 1 | uk / United Kingdom |
| 1060.68 GBP | 2020 | 12 x 75cl | 1 | uk / United Kingdom |
| 340.02 GBP | 2024 | 6 x 75cl | 1 | uk / United Kingdom |
No active bids.
| Vintage | Packing | Offers | Bids | Market price | WA rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 4075.50 | 92 |
| 2017 | 12 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 6973.80 | 93 |
| 2017 | 6 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 3486.90 | 93 |
| 2018 | 12 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 8453.28 | 93 |
| 2018 | 6 x 75cl | 1 | 0 | 4226.64 | 93 |
| 2019 | 12 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 93 | |
| 2019 | 6 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 93 | |
| 2020 | 1 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 94 | |
| 2020 | 12 x 75cl | 1 | 0 | 94 | |
| 2020 | 6 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 94 | |
| 2022 | 12 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 93 | |
| 2022 | 3 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 93 | |
| 2022 | 6 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 93 | |
| 2024 | 6 x 75cl | 1 | 0 |
Rating: 94 –94
Offering up aromas of orange oil, confit lemon and peach mingled with notions of nutmeg, freshly baked bread and iodine, Piuze's 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is full-bodied, concentrated and enveloping, with a satiny attack that segues into a layered mid-palate girdled by racy acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish.
Rating: 93 –93
The 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots opens in the glass with notes of orange oil, apricot, pastry cream, white flowers and iodine. Full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a fleshy core of fruit, lively acids and fine length on the finish, it's a muscular and gourmand wine that will offer a broad drinking window.
Rating: 93 –93
The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots has a pleasant reduction on the nose, but underneath is plenty of mineral, flint scents and fruit concentration. The palate is medium-bodied, lively with a keen thread of acidity, plenty of citric fruit and spice, with fine energy and tension all the way through to the finish. What an excellent Blanchots that should drink well for 10 to 15 years, possibly longer.
Rating: 92 –94
Gorgeous and vivid in the glass, the 2011 Chablis Blanchots captures the very best of the vintage in its crystalline fruit. Although there is considerable depth and richness in the glass, those qualities have been achieved while retaining tons of clarity. The Blanchots is loaded with personality and sheer pedigree. Interestingly, the Blanchots is one of the 2011s that was made with a mechanical press. This is serious juice. 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
Rating: 91 –91
Piuze's 2010 Chablis Blanchots wraps around the palate with beautifully delineated layers of fruit. This wine is vivid, nuanced and nicely detailed from start to finish. White stone fruits and flowers linger on the palate. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. 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
Rating: 91 –91
The 2009 Chablis Blanchots is one of the more floral wines in this lineup. The spiciness from the oak is a little bit prominent here, but there is more than enough minerality to give the wine lovely freshness while staying true to the house style. The Blanchots impresses for its persistence and round, creamy finish. Jasmine and white peaches add the final nuances. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. Patrick Piuze’s resume includes stints with Olivier Leflaive, Jean-Marie Guffens and Domaine Brocard. A desire for more of a hands-on approach in all facets of winemaking led Piuze to start his own micro-negociant operation a few years ago. All of the wines are fermented with ambient yeasts and are aged on their lees in steel and neutral oak with no batonnage. Of the premier crus, the Vaillons, Forets and Butteaux are aged entirely in oak, as are all of the grand crus. The wines go through full malolactic fermentation. Stylistically, the wines lean towards the Cote d’Or in terms of their personalities. In 2009, Piuze began picking on September 14, earlier than normal, and the wines also went into bottle early (before the 2010 harvest), both with the aim of trying to maintain as much freshness as possible. About 50% of the wines are aged in neutral oak. Some of the gems in this lineup are in the entry-level offerings, where there may be less competition for higher quality fruit than in some of the more prestigious sites within Chablis. I was only able to taste one 2010, as the rest of the wines had not yet been bottled at the time of my visit. I also sampled a number of 2008s, including the Vaucoupin, Vaillons, Blanchots and Les Clos, all of which were very pretty. Various American importers, including: David Bowler Wine, New York, NY; (212) 807-1680 and Aliane Wines, La Jolla, CA; tel. (858) 361-4529
Rating: 92 –92
Piuze’s 2008 Chablis Blanchots smells of ocean breeze, fresh lime, as well as fusil, smoky emanations as if from crushed chalk. Pronouncedly mineral on the palate, it at the same time exhibits a succulence of grapefruit and white peach that goes beyond the other wines in its collection. A slightly lactic note dissipated after the bottle had been open for a few hours. And while this might not finish with real succulence, it offers a startlingly pungent and piquant burst of fresh lime, cherry, peach, cherry pit, and tenaciously persistent maritime mineral character. A real essence of Kimmeridgian terroir, I would not be surprised to see this prove worth following for a decade. Quebecois Patrick Piuze has followed a repeatedly-traveled path, having struck out on his own after working as cellarmaster for Brocard (and before that he worked for Olivier Leflaive, followed by Verget). Tasting his 2008s offers striking reminders of just how much unrealized potential there is in Chablis, when one considers the number of very recent start-ups (granted, the bulk market for 2008s was a buyer’s); that the twelve wines I tasted here constitute only a bit over half of Piuze’s portfolio; and above all in view of the high quality he has achieved in his inaugural vintage. Piuze follows as well a by now familiar micro-negociant formula that is “micro” in matters of management even if not in terms of total production: he exercises whatever he feels are the necessary controls to insure that the fruit he purchases can fulfill his ideals of style and terroir character, which involve fermentation exclusively in steel or cement vessels and maturation in tank and previously-used, often large-format barrels. Class distinctions here are quite subtle, with a seamless transition from some startlingly fine village-level wines through the crus. (For the record, the 2008 bottlings I did not taste are: Petit Chablis and the crus Butteaux, Foret; Montmains, Montee de Tonnerre, Vaillons, Bougros, Grenouilles, Valmur, and Vaudesir!) Various importers, including: Aliane Wines, La Jolla, CA; tel. (858) 361-4529 and David Bowler Wine, New York, NY; (212) 807-1680
Rating: 93 –93
The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is very promising, bursting with aromas of orange zest, citrus blossom, buttery pastry and fresh hazelnuts. Full-bodied, satiny and layered, it's elegantly textural, with attractive mid-palate depth and purity.
Rating: 88 –88
The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots was touched by hail, though not as severely as other vineyards, according to Patrick Piuze. It has a well-defined bouquet, perhaps just missing a little intensity with apple blossom and citrus notes. The palate is fresh on the entry, though slightly smudged and with moderate depth, tapering away on the finish. I think the Patrick has conjured Premier Crus that would show up this Grand Cru.
Rating: 92 –92
The 2016 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots has a fragrant bouquet with lemon curd, white flowers and a touch of nectarine, the mineralité tucked just behind. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity and is quite tensile in the mouth with a brisk, saline, quite linear finish that will take three or four years to really open. Patrick opined that his Blanchots is a mix of the 2014 and 2015 vintages in style, which is not such a bad thing, and I agree.
Rating: 91 –93
The 2017 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is quite exotic and gourmand, wafting from the glass with notes of orange blossom, peaches and honeycomb. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and textural, with lovely salinity and succulent acids.
Rating: 93 –93
The 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is a powerful, broad-shouldered wine, bursting with notes of honeysuckle, yellow orchard fruit, almond paste and white flowers. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad and ample, with a layered core, impressive purity and precision despite its unmistakable volume, and an intensely saline finish.
Rating: 92 –94
Gorgeous and vivid in the glass, the 2011 Chablis Blanchots captures the very best of the vintage in its crystalline fruit. Although there is considerable depth and richness in the glass, those qualities have been achieved while retaining tons of clarity. The Blanchots is loaded with personality and sheer pedigree. Interestingly, the Blanchots is one of the 2011s that was made with a mechanical press. This is serious juice. 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
Rating: 91 –91
Piuze's 2010 Chablis Blanchots wraps around the palate with beautifully delineated layers of fruit. This wine is vivid, nuanced and nicely detailed from start to finish. White stone fruits and flowers linger on the palate. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. 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
Rating: 94 –95
From two producers and selected rows in three disparate parcels, Piuze’s 2012 Chablis Blanchots smells of iris and gentian wafted on ocean breeze. Silken-textured, strikingly buoyant (at a mere 12.3% alcohol, no wonder!) and infectiously juicy in a fashion too-seldom evident among grand cru Chablis, its citrus and pale pit fruits are tinged with salty-sweet, saliva-inducing savor of shrimp shell reduction, leading to a mouthwateringly long and dazzlingly interactive finishing colloquy of flower, fruit and mineral. The sense of clarity – notable, given the supplemental lees this was fed – of finesse and near-kaleidoscopic complexity on exhibit here should remain exciting through at least 2024 (and, I am hopeful, beyond). Quebecer Patrick Piuze – a former cellarmaster for Brocard about whose inaugural 2008 vintage under his own name I enthused in issue 191 – has since then significantly expanded his range; further honed his already formidable skills; and acquired some superb new sources of fruit, making his one of the most exciting among France’s modern breed of micro-negociants not to mention among newcomers to Chablis during the past decade. Incidentally, like many of the aforementioned breed, Piuze sells his wines overwhelmingly (at last count, he says, 93%) abroad. He exercises considerable control over the viticultural regimen practiced by his dozen suppliers (three dominant) in the parcels for whose fruit he contracts, and continues to be a tireless experimenter and self-critic in matters of vinification. With 2011, he began utilizing a mechanical rather than bladder press for half of his wines, and in 2012 exclusively, citing his belief that this enhances dry extract and stability, though it requires much more time and someone standing by the press. Piuze adds that this approach also gains him some of the advantages in quality of juice associated with traditional Champagne presses, but that a vertical press such as used in that region is impractical for his large number of small lots and small team (with only two other full-time participants, his partner Sylvie Quittot and his father-in-law). Non-cru wines here are raised almost entirely in tank and crus in previously used barrel. “We picked beginning September 20 in 2012, and as fast as we could” Piuze notes, “because there was quite a lot of rain and it’s easier to pick with water on the grapes that I can dry-off than with water in the grapes.” Alcohols, unadjusted, registered from 11.8-12.3% (very close to the estate’s readings in 2011). “The point is not to pick early but ripe,” Piuze generalizes, “and to pick ripe but not overripe where you lose brightness and saliva inducement for the sake of fat.” Most of Piuze’s 2012s finished malo-lactic conversion by Christmas but alcoholic fermentation only in early spring. “I don’t do this on purpose, it just usually happens” he notes, adding “I don’t know why myself. But the levels of volatility come out all right, and anyway, I don’t like wines that have too little volatile acidity.” Despite what was already the certainty of a late 2013 harvest, Piuze planned to bottle his 2012 crus (excepting Les Clos) already in July, a testimony to economic considerations – “I’m already lucky enough (just) to be able to do what I do, that it’s not even a burden to bottle one stage earlier than I otherwise would” he notes with a grin – but also a policy that has stood his wines well in past vintages. So many sites I hadn’t anticipated were represented in the 2012 line-up that the time I had allotted for our tasting session did not permit opportunity to taste even one of Piuze’s 2011s (nor did my subsequent schedule), so I’ll plan to report next year on how at least some of his efforts from that vintage are faring. Imported by Aliane Wines, La Jolla, CA; tel. (858) 361-4529, David Bowler Wine, New York, NY; (212) 807-1680, and Martine’s Wines Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400
Rating: 90 –92
The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots comes from three parcels in the appellation. It has a crisp stony bouquet with superb terroir expression. The palate is very well-balanced with white peach and citrus peel. It is a harmonious and cohesive Les Blanchots with impressive weight and concentration on the finish. This should age well. Drink 2016-2028. Visiting Patrick Piuze for the first time at his winery in Chablis ville, not that far from Francois Raveneau, was something that I eagerly anticipated after the praise heaped upon him by David Schildknecht. Indeed, I found much to admire here: one of the region's most active and dynamic micro-negociants that debuted as recently as 2008. Quebec-born Piuze is a coiled-spring of energy and opinions, a principled winemaker who knows exactly what he would like to achieve without pushing too hard. I detected a burning streak of independence about the winemaker. Before tasting through his 2013s he told me about dropping out of college to pursue his passion for wine, backpacking around the world, before finally leaving Montreal for Burgundy in 2000 where he worked at Olivier Leflaive. One has the sense of someone searching for, and eventually finding, his calling. I can empathize with that. Leflaive's portfolio introduced him to Chablis and he was soon starting his tenure as cellar-master at Jean-Marc Brocard. But that independent mind-set continued to burn and perhaps inevitably, he assembled enough friends and contacts to supply him with quality fruit from the region's most desirable vineyards to form his own enterprise. He maintains that youthful rebellious nature; neatly circumventing the appellation-s rules about eschewing premier cru vineyard designations with his "Terroir de?" series that are all worth hunting down. "I pressed a little longer in 2013, since I did not want to risk breaking the cake," he told me as we settled into his underground cellar that stretches underneath the road via a tunnel. "I reverted back to my Vaslin press in 2012 vintage because we did not have enough dry extract in the wine. The 2012 growing season was as good as it gets. There was a slow maturation of berries that gave us very healthy grapes without much disease pressure. We began the harvest on September 20 under good conditions and the cold night preserved high acidity levels. In 2013, I harvested over 8 days instead of the usual 14, finishing on October 5. People probably think it was the rain that was the biggest risk during the harvest, but actually it was the high night temperatures that seemed to keep the rot going. And so, in my opinion, it was actually the Thursday that was the most damaging day. I have undertaken a shorter elevage in order to keep the freshness and the alcohol levels are very moderate, the highest alcohol coming in at 12.3 degrees." Imported by Aliane Wines, La Jolla, CA; tel. (858) 361-4529; David Bowler Wine, New York, NY; tel. (212) 807-1680; Martine-s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400
Rating: 94 –94
A striking contrast to the muscular Bougros, the 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is more classically proportioned and less powerful. From a site that often delivers rather introverted, even slightly austere wines, Patrick Piuze's interpretation captures freshness and precision but with an elegantly textural attack and depth, offering scents of oyster shell, lemon zest, peach and iodine. Concentrated, multidimensional and laden with tangy acids, it concludes with a mouthwateringly saline finish. It will offer a broad and long enjoyment window.
Rating: 93 –93
This is a very plush and attractively open style with a wealth of ripe peaches and creamed mangoes. Super smooth and seamless. Early drinking for sure, but will also go a decade in the cellar.