France · Burgundy · Chablis · White · Still · wine-wine
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| Price / case | Vintage | Packing | Qty | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2854.94 GBP | 2010 | 6 x 75cl | 2 | uk / United Kingdom |
| 2798.29 GBP | 2010 | 6 x 75cl | 2 | uk / United Kingdom |
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| Vintage | Packing | Offers | Bids | Market price | WA rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 6 x 75cl | 2 | 0 | 91 | |
| 2017 | 12 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 95 | |
| 2017 | 6 x 75cl | 0 | 0 | 95 |
Rating: 95 –95
The 2020 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur unwinds in the glass with scents of crisp green apple, lime zest, mandarin orange, white flowers, freshly baked bread, nutmeg and beeswax. Full-bodied, satiny and incisive, it's deep and concentrated, with racy acids, chalky extract and a long, penetrating finish. As usual, it's one of the highlights of the Piuze portfolio.
Rating: 95 –95
The 2019 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is lovely, bursting with aromas of pear, mandarin organ, freshly baked bread, clear honey and iodine. Full-bodied, layered and incisive, it's a concentrated, elegantly muscular wine built around a bright spine of acidity. Deep and seamless, it remains very classic in profile even in this ripe vintage.
Rating: 93 –95
The 2017 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is a deep, powerful wine, unfurling to reveal notes of lemon oil, green apple, iodine, fresh croissant dough and smoky reduction. On the palate, it's full-bodied, massive and multidimensional, with the reserved, blocky quality that's so characteristic of Valmur, but it's rendered with Piuze's typical deftness of touch. There's superb potential here, and I expect it to score at the upper end of my range.
Rating: 95 –95
Revisited from barrel, Piuze's 2017 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is performing brilliantly, wafting from the glass with notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, waxy citrus rind, mandarin oil, white flowers and iodine. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and satiny, with striking depth and concentration, broad shoulders and a firm, structured profile that's defined by considerable dry extract and racy acids. After tasting it, I immediately purchased several bottles for my own cellar.
Rating: 90 –92
The 2011 Chablis Valmur is rich, round and seamless. Today it is the fruit that dominates, which is not surprising, given the site's name and reputation for yielding ripe, fleshy wines. Exotic notes linger on the soft, caressing finish. My sense is that the Valmur will drink well upon release. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. 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 2010 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur from Patrick Piuze has a crisp and tensile bouquet, a pleasant flintiness coming through with aeration, white flowers following behind. The palate has the weight bestowed by the 2010 vintage, fresh and citrus-driven, though I am seeking just a little more personality to come through on the tight-lipped finish. Give this another 2-3 years is my advice. Tasted June 2016.
Rating: 93 –93
The 2010 Chablis Valmur is bright, vivid and beautifully focused in the glass. In 2010, the Valmur has lovely minerality to balance the wine's tendency towards opulence. Mint, flowers and white peaches come to life on the nuanced, articulate finish. This is a great showing. I love the pure energy here. 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: 92 –92
The 2009 Chablis Valmur is a standout that captures the house style at its best. Rich and seamless on the palate, the Valmur impresses for its superb persistence and round, caressing finish. This is another harmonious, impeccable wine. 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: 95 –95
Piuze's 2009 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is beginning to drink very well, wafting from the glass with a classy bouquet of lemon zest, yellow orchard fruit, iodine and a subtle top note of praline. On the palate, it's full-bodied, glossy and textural, with a deep, stony core and cool balancing acids, concluding with a saline finish. In its controlled power, it's classic Valmur—to the extent that its identity was evident when it was presented blind. This superb bottle is really not very far away from Domaine Raveneau's 2009 Valmur, though it is closer to full maturity than that wine.
Rating: 95 –95
The last vintage Piuze will produce from this particular source, the 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is a lovely swan song to end on, offering up aromas of pear and green apple mingled with white flowers, iodine and oyster shell, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and layered palate, concluding with a long, saline finish.
Rating: 94 –94
The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur, which is limited to two barrels and one feuillette, has an expressive, fruit-driven bouquet with scents of orange blossom, apricot and yellow flowers, whereas the palate delivers plenty spice, dried honey and right on the finish just a faint tang of nutmeg. It feels viscous in the mouth, delivering one of Piuze's best 2014s.
Rating: 94 –94
The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses has a much more intense and probably more complex bouquet than the Les Clos: orange zest, apricot, flint and even a touch of freshly picked strawberry streaming from the glass. The palate is vibrant, brimming over with energy, tensile and long with great precision on the finish. This is one of Piuze's best 2014s.
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: 93 –93
The 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent comes from two lieux-dits within the vineyard picked around three or four days apart. It has a refined, linden and citrus-scented bouquet that unfolds in the glass. It's not as immediate as Patrick's other 2014s but it repays patience. The palate is fresh and vibrant, full of tension and with fine density, a touch of spice enlivening the finish that feels long in the mouth. What a superb contribution to the vintage.
Rating: 92 –92
The maiden 2014 Chablis La Grande Vallée, which Patrick described as the "forgotten Premier Cru" since it was ascribed "Tête de Cuvée" by monks, has a fragrant, slightly peachy, floral bouquet with plenty of fruit. The palate is rounded with white peach, bitter lemon and orange zest, extremely generous at the moment with an irresistible Mirabelle-tinged finish. Gorgeous!
Rating: 92 –92
The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos has a refined bouquet with orange zest, minerals, flint and a touch of smoke, rewarding you within five minutes as it opens up. The palate is well balanced, citrus fresh with bitter lemon and orange rind notes, quite elegant, almost conservative on the finish vis-a-vis the Valmur. This is very fine though the Valmurs has more ambition.
Rating: 92 –92
The 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre has a stony, cold flint, austere bouquet, the most introspective of Piuze's wines this year. The palate is clean and fresh, fatter than the nose suggests with white peach, white pepper and plenty of spice on the finish that shows a lot of dry extract. This is a gorgeous Chablis that should age with style.
Rating: 92 –92
The 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux comes from vines planted east-west. It has a very defined, more exotic bouquet than the Fôrets with a touch of licorice just in the background. The palate is vibrant, elegant and refined with a taut line of acidity, poised and focused with a long, saline finish that is as intellectual as it is pleasurable. This is superb.
Rating: 91 –91
The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros, from vines that are located on the plateau, has subtle tropical fruit on the nose – guava and apricot – one of the most generous aromatic profiles from Patrick Piuze. The palate is fresh and rounded, rich in the mouth for a 2014, with white peach and citrus lemon notes on the long, rounded finish. Very fine, and probably approachable compared to the other Grand Crus.
Rating: 90 –90
The 2014 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte de Bouqueyreaux has a backward nose compared to the "plateau" Bourgos, opening with mineral, citrus scents. The palate is linear, nicely poised but I feel it needs a little more energy towards the finish. Perhaps it will improve in bottle? This was a querulous showing, so I will endeavor to revisit.
Rating: 89 –89
The 2014 Chablis Terroir de Descouverte comes from vines that touch Vaulorent. It has a fine, mineral-scented bouquet with good definition. The palate is fresh with better density than the Terroir de Chichée, with lively ginger-tinged fruit on the finish. This is demonstrating more chutzpah than the Terroir de Chichée '14 and comes recommended.
Rating: 89 –89
The 2014 Chablis Terroir de Fyé comes from Chapolet, on the other side of the track from Montée de Tonnerre on west-facing soils. This was the only vineyard that suffered a little frost damage in 2014. It has an austere, quite backward nose. The palate is fresh on the entry, supple in the mouth with touches of candied orange peel and quince, with a pleasant salinity lingering on the aftertaste.
Rating: 88 –88
The 2014 Chablis Terroir de Chablis comes from the north-facing hill of Foret and Vaillons. Has a taut, austere bouquet that needs some encouragement from the glass. The palate is rounded on the entry with good weight on the mid-palate, fine acidity, a little saline toward the finish with a persistent, lemongrass-tinged finish. Enjoy this over the next four or five years.
Rating: 88 –88
The 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Fôrets, which comes from vines located more toward the bottom of the slope that Patrick uses as an indicator or when to start picking, has a classic, reserved, stony bouquet that is well defined but will need some bottle age. The palate is well balanced, quite saline in the mouth, a touch of bitterness lending tension, but perhaps just needing a little more length.
Rating: 85 –85
The 2014 Chablis Terroir de Chichée comes from the plateau and is affected by wind, more an appetizer than food wine according to Patrick. It has a light apple blossom-scented bouquet that would benefit from a little more vigor. The palate is rounded in the mouth with touches of white peach and citrus lemon, slightly lower acidity than others, but with a pleasant spicy touch of the finish. Not bad, though it feels a little "ordinary" compared to some of Piuze's other 2014s.
Rating: 84 –84
The 2014 Petit Chablis comes from a single parcel in La Petit Preuse. It has a light, precise, stony bouquet that has a distinct airiness about it. The palate is quite rounded on the entry with just a touch of sour lemon, leading to a soft, easy-drinking finish.
Rating: 90 –90
The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur has a clean and precise bouquet with apricot blossom, flint and smoky aromas. The palate is well defined with crisp acidity, citrus fresh with hints of dried mango and a touch of pralines. I would have liked a little more delineation, but there is great persistence on the finish. Not as immediate as Piuze’s other 2015s, this will need to be cellared for 4-5 years.
Rating: 92 –94
The 2016 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is harvested late in the afternoon to extract as much fruit as possible. It has an expressive bouquet with crisp lemon thyme and oyster shell aromas. The palate is fresh and vibrant with crisp acidity and a fine sense of tension, linear and poised with those oyster shell notes returning on the nutmeg-infused finish. This might just turn out to be the best 2016 that Patrick Piuze has made...it will be fun finding out.
Rating: 94 –94
Piuze's 2018 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is showing very well, opening in the glass with a complex bouquet of fresh peach, oatmeal, white flowers and mandarin. On the palate, it's full-bodied, multidimensional and layered, with all the depth, concentration and blocky reserve that typically distinguish this bottling, buttressed by impressively racy acids and concluding with a precise finish.
Rating: 90 –92
The 2011 Chablis Valmur is rich, round and seamless. Today it is the fruit that dominates, which is not surprising, given the site's name and reputation for yielding ripe, fleshy wines. Exotic notes linger on the soft, caressing finish. My sense is that the Valmur will drink well upon release. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. 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: 92 –93
Alas, there are only two barrels. “I always harvest here late in the afternoon,” says Piuze of his 2012 Chablis Valmur “because the skins are softer and the afternoon lees accentuate what I think the monks who planted and named this site ‘vale of ripeness’ had in mind. That’s why,” he adds – citing this cru’s surprisingly wide discrepancies in exposure – “I wanted fruit from the south-facing portion or nothing.” Scents of woodruff, arbor vitae and grapefruit, resin and nutmeg anticipate the flavors of a sappy, expansive, glycerol-rich palate, leading to a superbly-sustained, complex finish. Here is another of this producer’s grand crus worth following through at least 2024. 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: 91 –93
The 2013 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur has a superb bouquet with great tension: citrus peel, wet granite and a very pleasant reduction, which Patrick suggested might originate from the press. The palate is very well-balanced with great depth. There is good precision here with hints of lime and fresh watermelon coming through on the vibrant, tense finish. Very fine. Drink 2016-2026. 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: 93 –93
This has the honey and butter and spiced-peach custard of this very opulent cru. The palate is so plush, round and rich and seemingly crippled for now by the weight of fruit. Hold this and try from 2024.