Patrick Piuze Vaulorent, Chablis Premier Cru, France 2023

Patrick Piuze- a Montreal native- took the region by storm when he arrived over decade ago. He worked for Leflaive, Jean-Marc Brocard and Jean-Marie Guffens before starting his own label in 2008, and has very quickly come to be counted among the legendary names of the region. Piuze works with purchased fruit, and his great relationships with the growers of Chablis have allowed him access to choice parcels in all of the great sites.

As for technique, he is a maverick. While 90% of Chablis is machine-harvested, he harvests everything by hand, a paramount factor in the quality of his wines. While most cellars use a pneumatic press, he uses a vertical one because he likes the initial blast of oxygen for the wines in hopes of preventing pre-mox later, a way of thinking also espoused by Jean-Marc Roulot.

Vaulorent is a sub-climate of 1er Cru Fourchaume; it is located on the same hill as all of the Grand Cru, but is not Grand Cru because it is not a part of the commune of Chablis. The vineyards face north and it's one of the last to be harvested. Limestone soil. Clean and fresh with a persistent mineral back bone.