The wines of Chavy-Chouet, Burgundy, France

The wines of Chavy-Chouet, Burgundy
One of the rising stars of white Burgundy

Website: www.chavy-chouet.com

I tasted these wines with owner and general manager Romaric Chavy. He’s very young, but actually took over back in 2006. Until 2005 the domain had an annual production of 20 000 bottles from its 13 hectares of vines (they didn’t use all the grapes), but now they make 80 000 bottles a year.

By Burgundy standards, 13 hectares is quite a bit, and they have some great vineyards in both Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.

One of their interesting vineyards is Clos des Corvées de Citeaux, which is a monopole vineyard in Meursault. It’s a walled clos of 0.9 hectares that has been in the family since 1893.

Romaric decided on his career at an early stage. From the age of 12 he attended wine school, where he’d alternate periods of study with time spent working for his godfather, Francois Mikulski. He works the vineyards pretty much organically, with ploughing and minimal use of sprays (preferring the traditional copper and sulfur), but is not certified.

The wines are imported into the UK by Roberson, who also sell direct to customers through their fine wine shop (www.robersonwine.com); their prices are given in brackets.

THE WINES

Domaine Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Blanc ‘Les Femelottes’ 2010
Fine, expressive and fruity. Rounded with a nice spicy mineral note on the finish. Good intensity here. 89/100 (£13.95)

Domaine Chavy-Chouet Meursault ‘Clos des Corvées de Citeaux’ 2009
Very fine, expressive, nutty nose showing fine herbal and mineral notes. The palate is nutty and fresh with lovely purity of pear and lemon fruit. 93/100 (£28.95)

Domaine Chavy-Chouet Puligny Montrachet ‘Enseignères’ 2008
Finely expressive nose of pear, apple and white peach. Lively, expressive palate with a hint of reduction. Lovely depth and purity with lively fruit. It’s fresh but intense: a lovely wine. 94/100 (£27.95)

Domaine Chavy-Chouet Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Champs Gain’ 2008
Fine, mineral, lively nose with citrus fruit and some white peach richness. Taut and mineral on the palate with some spiciness. Fresh and pure. 94/100 (£34.95)

Domaine Chavy-Chouet Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Folatières’ 2008
Fresh and a bit bready with lively pear and white peach fruit. Crisp and fresh with nice concentration and a savoury twist to the palate. Finesse and freshness. 92/100 (£34.95)

Domaine Chavy-Chouet Bourgogne Rouge ‘La Taupe’ 2010
This comes from a plot near Pommard. It shows fresh, bright, pure raspberry and cherry fruit. It’s light and expressive with ripe fruit, savoury freshness and a bit of grip. Impressive for the price. 90/100 (£13.95)