The handsomely lean Piuze 2008 Chablis Les Preuses might boast less richness or exoticism than is often displayed by the wines of this cru, but is nonetheless a complex wine, if one whose appeal will probably vary considerably by taster. Musk, lemon, and fusil oils in the nose mingle with hints of resin and spice from toasted oak, all of which are joined on the palate by a maritime range of saline, alkaline, and kelp-like elements. A lactic note dissipated over time. This penetrating, fascinating Chablis will probably need another year to knit and should be worth following for 5-7.
Quebecois Patrick Piuze has followed a repeatedly-traveled path, having struck out on his own after working as cellarmaster for Brocard (and before that he worked for Olivier Leflaive, followed by Verget). Tasting his 2008s offers striking reminders of just how much unrealized potential there is in Chablis, when one considers the number of very recent start-ups (granted, the bulk market for 2008s was a buyer’s); that the twelve wines I tasted here constitute only a bit over half of Piuze’s portfolio; and above all in view of the high quality he has achieved in his inaugural vintage. Piuze follows as well a by now familiar micro-negociant formula that is “micro” in matters of management even if not in terms of total production: he exercises whatever he feels are the necessary controls to insure that the fruit he purchases can fulfill his ideals of style and terroir character, which involve fermentation exclusively in steel or cement vessels and maturation in tank and previously-used, often large-format barrels. Class distinctions here are quite subtle, with a seamless transition from some startlingly fine village-level wines through the crus. (For the record, the 2008 bottlings I did not taste are: Petit Chablis and the crus Butteaux, Foret; Montmains, Montee de Tonnerre, Vaillons, Bougros, Grenouilles, Valmur, and Vaudesir!)
Various importers, including: Aliane Wines, La Jolla, CA; tel. (858) 361-4529 and David Bowler Wine, New York, NY; (212) 807-1680
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