Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Jean-Louis and Alain Chavy went their separate ways in 2003, splitting up the family domaine. Jean-Louis farms two parcels in Folatières, one high up the hill in stony soils near Blagny, another lower down, where more clay enhances the richness of the fruit He works with spontaneous fermentations, and includes 25 percent new oak in the mix of barrels. His 2015 is generously dressed in its oak, a luxurious wine with the scent of white flowers with some green tension at the edges. With a warm texture akin to beeswax, it’s a rich Folatières to serve with lobster, or to age toward complexity.
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Wine Spectator
Round and creamy, sporting peach, apple and floral notes. Lively acidity keeps this fresh and drives the lingering finish. Ends with mouthwatering lemon and spice accents. Drink now through 2024. 45 cases imported.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A source of some of the finest, juicy, silky and elegantly floral Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet lies just to the north of Chassagne-Montrachet, a village with which it shares two of its Grands Crus vineyards: Le Montrachet itself and Bâtard-Montrachet. Its other two, which it owns in their entirety, are Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. And still, some of the finest white Burgundy wines come from the prized Premiers Crus vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet. To name a few, Les Pucelles, Le Clavoillon, Les Perrières, Les Referts and Les Combettes, as well as the rest, lie northeast and up slope from the Grands Crus.
Farther to the southeast are village level whites and the hamlet of Blagny where Pinot Noir grows best and has achieved Premier Cru status.