Tasted with Alain & Corentin Chavy in Puligny-Montrachet, 26 September 2022.

Domaine Alain Chavy
5 Rue des Creux de Chagny
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 39 27

Alain, with his brother, Jean-Louis, worked with their father Gérard. At the end of 2002 Gérard retired and the father’s vines were shared between the two sons. Alain had been preparing for this and started producing from this address in 2003 – “The are the only deeps cellars in Puligny,” he smiles. Alain is already working with the next generation, son Corentin.

This is a domaine where 90% of the production – roughly 80,000 bottles in a ‘normal’ year, is exported from France. This address is one of only 3 producers of the Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clavoillon; Domaine Leflaive have the lion’s share, nearly 90%, and the rest sits with this domaine and the domaine of Alain’s brother.

Alain & Corentin on 2021:
“In 2021, the harvest for the regionals was correct – 50hl/ha for the Bourgogne – but it was downhill from there. 30 hl/ha for our villages and only 9 hl/ha for the premier crus. We have 4 premiers here but made only one cuvée this year as the volumes were so low – we blended the grapes of the 4 together. We like to harvest early – though it was the 18th September in 2021 – I don’t like heavy wines. For the villages and premier crus, we used some larger format barrels for the elevage – 400-litres.”

The wines…

Such a tasty range and with the 2021 vintage there’s such an obvious step up in quality between, regional, villages and premier cru wines. Their last wine is the blend of their 4 premier crus – but a seriously great one!

These wines were racked at the end of August, probably to bottle in February, after 6 months in tank. Bottled with normal cork for all except the regional wines:

2021 Bourgogne Blanc
Vines that are practically all in Puligny. All oak for elevage but none new
An inviting sweet agrume nose – very attractive. Energy and nice acidity followed by a wave of mineral energy that’s a beautiful Bourgogne!

2021 Puligny-Montrachet
A blend from 8 different parcels.
Again the agrumes but these aromas are a little more incisive. In the mouth there’s more generosity, less vibrant but broader flavour, still finely mineral in these middle and finishing flavours. Another lovely wine.

2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes
A rounder nose, still with lots of agrume citrus. Generous, slightly rich, more structural but melting with flavour. Slowly fading with delicious flavour.