Dinner with Patrick Piuze

This dinner was organized by Joe Salamone of Crush Wine & Spirits (www.crushwineco.com). Patrick Piuze was in attendance to present eight of his Chablis, and to talk about his winemaking philosophy. Here are a few of the nuggets that I scribbled down:

- Total production is around 150,000 bottles per year
- Whole-cluster fermentation
- All grapes purchased and harvested by hand
- Only uses stainless steel or oak that's at least six years old
- Feels that 2012 is a very good and long-lasting vintage

By the way, Patrick is a real hoot, and regaled us with stories of the likes of Alain Ducasse and Christian Louboutin offering to trade their goods for his wines (offers that he readily accepts, much to his wife's delight). He also has great taste in shoes, and was sporting a pair of well-worn Berlutis.

• 2012 Patrick Piuze Chablis Terroir de Courgis

  France, Burgundy, Chablis

  Light yellow in color, this wine has an unexpected softness and sweetness to it. There's wet stone, intense saline, and high acid. A bouquet of lemon peel develops into slight squeezed lemons and finally into hints of sweet lemon curd. There's also a slight yeasty quality to the nose, and the mineral-laden finish lingers. Aged in 100% stainless steel, this is an excellent value ($22 at retail) that should be at its peak in 5-8 years. RECOMMENDED.

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Patrick presented three vintages of his Premier Cru Vaillons "Les Minots," including 2008, his first vintage.

• 2012 Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  "Les Minots" is the warmest part of Vaillons. This is a far more fruit-forward wine than the Terroir de Courgis, with lemon, lime, and grapefruit notes that evolve with each swirl, along with a noticeable chalk element. There's a slight sweetness on the nose, which is more pronounced on the palate. I'd almost call the palate lush. While the acidity is noticeably lower than many Chablis, it's still there in force, and the wine is nicely rounded. RECOMMENDED.

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• 2011 Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  It's fascinating to see how different this is when compared with the 2012 vintage, and on the basis of this tasting I wouldn't be cellaring much 2011 Chablis. This is buttery, creamy, and yeasty, displaying little of the citrus, acid, and minerality than Chablis is known for. This could be confused for a Côte de Beaune were it not for the salty (but relatively short) finish. As I let the wine open up in the glass, I got hints of crème brûlée and even more creaminess. RECOMMENDED.

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• 2008 Patrick Piuze Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Les Minots

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  This is well into the secondary aromas. Now a slightly darker shade than the 2011 and 2012 vintages, there's a yeasty funkiness to the bouquet that dissipates after a few minutes. You're then left with biting lemon, sea breeze, light smoke, and stone and chalk. Later on someone observed a hint of truffle. In the mouth there's a saline jolt straight to the back of the tongue and down the throat. There's a pleasing fullness to this wine. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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• 2012 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte de Bouqueyreaux

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Sweet citrus fruit, hints of vanilla and seafood (or was that from the food in front of me?--hard to say), and ever-present chalkiness. The palate shows the same qualities. This had medium acidity and lower salinity than the other bottlings and vintages I tasted. There's a slight mustiness to the wine, both on the nose and in the mouth, which isn't off-putting but does make this stand out in an odd way. I don't feel that I gave this wine the attention it deserved. NOT RATED.

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• 2012 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  This is dominated by a dense core of acid and minerals. I'd describe it as having "plus plus" acid and minerality--a tad overwhelming at this point in time and needing age to achieve balance. On the bouquet there's a hint of grapefruit, and in terms of sensory profiles I think this wine is more "pink" than "yellow." What came to mind was eating an extremely sour grapefruit. With time I think this will be explosive, but right now it's not ready. NOT RATED.

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Patrick presented two vintages of his Grand Cru Valmur.

• 2012 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  This wine has all of the classic Chablis characteristics in spades, and compared with the 2012 Les Clos it's far more accessible at this young age. Grapefruit and kumquat are pleasant additions to the bouquet. In the mouth there's high acid and loads of minerals, with nice citrus notes. Right now the wine is angular--it's tart, and it makes your mouth pucker--but the right ingredients are present for it to develop into a beautifully balanced wine. RECOMMENDED.

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• 2009 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  The wine of the flight and of the night, this displayed wonderful secondary aromas of wax, funky yeast, and nutmeg. A beautiful richness is enhanced by the slightest hints of oak and orange rind. Although not creamy like the 2011 Vaillons Les Minots, roasted and nutty qualities give it a similar character. There's enough in the tank for this to continue developing for a few more years, and to last for at least another decade. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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