2011 Chablis Forêts 1er Cru

Patrick Piuze's wines keep getting better and better. In particular, this year I was struck by the quality of the village level wines, which are separate bottlings that explore the specific qualities of several of the villages within the Chablis appellation. At the higher end, there is a lot to admire in there 1er and Grand Crus at this address. The top wines are fermented and aged in barrel, which shapes the wines and gives them much of their texture. Piuze compares the 2012s to the 2008s in terms of their acidities and sugars. As is the case throughout the region, Piuze's Right Bank sites were particularly affected by frost and poor weather during flowering. I tasted the village wines from bottle and all the other wines from barrel. In addition to these wines, I also tasted the 2012 Clos, which was totally reduced in its bouquet, but showed great energy and focus on the palate.

Patrick Piuze is one of the most thoughtful producers in Chablis, so it is hardly a surprise that these wines continue to show significant improvement. One of the developments over the last year or so has been an experimentation with an old-fashioned mechanical press, which Piuze thinks may give him wines with a greater capacity to age, even if they are a bit tougher upon release. Given the considerable attention, and frankly mystery, that still surrounds the premature oxidation of white Burgundies, it is going to be very interesting to see what this approach yields. Piuze recently took over a section of the old Vocoret cellars in the center of town, which gives him some additional space, which was much needed. Unlike most of his peers, Piuze works exclusively with purchased fruit, most of it from vineyards he farms directly or supervises. Piuze makes a number of fabulous wines, but of particular interest are the ‘Terroir' series wines, which seek to highlight the unique qualities of each of the main villages within the Chablis appellation. As far as I know, no one else is making wines with this approach. Piuze bottled some of his 2011s early. Those wines were left on their lees for their entire elevage. I tasted the rest of the 2011s from barrel, where they had never been racked. As for the 2010s, Piuze is one of the few producers who is quite frank in saying he is not a huge fan of the vintage. Accordingly, Piuze chose not to bottle magnums for any of his wines.