Piuze, Patrick

2008 marks the first vintage for Patrick Piuze under his own label. In 2000, Patrick moved to Burgundy after running a wine bar in Montreal for two years. That first autumn in Burgundy, he harvested with Olivier Leflaive in Puligny Montrachet. After training at the CFPPA in Beaune, Leflaive entrusted Piuze with the vinification of all of his Chablis. Piuze developed his savoir-faire for four years making Chablis for Leflaive before making a change. Next he spent a year at Verget with Jean-Marie Guffens where he explored his passion for the distinct terroirs of Chablis. At this point in his career he was getting recognized for the high quality wines he was making and after just a year at Verget, Jean-Marc Brocard recruited him to be his cellar master and head wine maker. During this period, Piuze made the most important decision of his life and decided to go out on his own and bottle under his own name.

He carefully chose land throughout Chablis, focusing on obtaining old-vines situated in prime locations. Several of his parcels border Raveneau’s. He manages the vineyards himself and only buys grapes (never must or juice). Patrick harvests every vineyard by hand, even at the Villages level. He has his own winemaking facility where the fermentation happens in temperature controlled steel tanks and then only old wooden barrels and foudres are used for the elevage – no new oak here.

Patrick Piuze is obsessed with drawing out the essence of terroir and bottles four separate cuvees at the Villages level (where most producers would blend each of these plots together to make their entry-level wine.) We are carrying the "Terroirs de Chablis", but he also makes "Terroir de Courgis", "Terroir de Chichee", and "Terroir de Fleys" at the Villages level. He makes six Grand Crus and eleven Premier Crus.

We're very excited to be working with this new star in Chablis. Piuze has been selected to participate in the La Paulee Tasting 2010 in San Francisco.

Wines

• Chablis "Terroir de Chablis" 2008
• Chablis 1er Cru "Montmains" 2008
• Chablis 1er Cru "Vaucoupin" 2008
• Chablis Grand Cru Bougros "Cote de Bouqueyraux" 2008
• Chablis Grand Cru les Clos 2008

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