Chavy-Chouet

Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin, Volnay, Pommard – the vineyard site portfolio of Domaine Chavy-Chouet is more than impressive. The same applies to the wines that Romaric Chavy has developed over the last 15 years into a very clear and unadulterated style.

Freshness & Precision

Here, very fresh, precise, tonic and mineral-driven white wines are produced, as well as very clearly structured, decidedly powerful yet fruity and refined red wines. The Ropiteau Legacy

It is very typical of Burgundy that names and estate sizes constantly change and reshape themselves. Ultimately, Domaine Chavy-Chouet was no exception. Although Romaric Chavy is already a winemaker in the seventh generation, the first bottles under the Chavy-Chouet label were only filled in 1982. Romaric's grandparents brought the property into the family. His grandfather was a Chavy from Puligny-Montrachet, his grandmother a Ropiteau from the renowned winemaking and négociant family. Albert Chavy-Ropiteau still sold the harvest to Bouchard Père. It was only Romaric's father Hubert who decided in 1982 to bottle the first wines, after marrying a winemaker's daughter from Pommard. Initially he named the domaine Chavy-Chouet, but then switched to bottling the wines under his own name, namely "Hubert Chavy".

Romaric joined the estate in 2006 after completing his training, working for a time with his godfather François Mikulski and subsequently in Greece and South Africa, among other places. Since his father's sudden death in 2014, Romaric has run the domaine together with his wife.

The Vineyard Site Portfolio of Chavy Chouet

The estate's great treasure consists of excellent parcels in Meursault, for example Les Narvaux, Les Charmes, Les Genevrières and the monopoly vineyard site Clos de Corvées de Citeau. In Saint-Aubin, it is the 1er Cru Les Murgers des Dents de Chien, whose quality has clearly improved with climate change. There are also Les Enseignères, Les Champs-Gain and Les Folatières in Puligny-Montrachet as well as Pinot parcels in Volnay and Pommard. But it is not only the vineyard sites that score points here, but the quality of the vines, some of which are up to 70 years old, which have been managed without herbicides for 30 years and exclusively organically for several years.

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The young talent Romaric Chavy[/caption]

Over the 15 years he has been running the domaine, Romaric has adopted a saying from Henri Jayer: "Young winemakers should move with the times and study oenology very carefully, in order then to do without it." His wines have become ever clearer and more tense, more nervous and purer.

The 2019 Vintage

Every year brings new challenges. 2019 certainly had plenty to offer. First there was the frost on 3rd and 5th April. Although Romaric had specially acquired some large turbines to support air circulation in the vineyards and thus minimise frost damage, this only works with cold dry air. But the nights were icy and humid. So there was nothing he could do about crop losses of up to 40% in some vineyard sites.

The next challenge came from some hot and dry periods, which the vineyards were able to cope with well, not least because of their age and the deep roots of the vines. When the team began harvesting on 7th September, the vines looked magnificent.

Romaric appreciates the 2019 vintage, which is more concentrated and above all more acidity-driven than the 2018 vintage, where one had the feeling that all the wines could be drunk immediately. 2019 seems much more classical, insofar as one can still describe the newer vintages as such. But they are definitely 1er Cru wines that demand cellar maturity and have high ageing potential. Particularly recommended for getting to know Romaric's style are the Bourgogne blanc from the Meursault vineyard site Les Saussots and the Bourgogne rouge from the Pommard vineyard site La Taupe. These are already very accessible and very brilliant wines with precision, freshness and finesse.

Text and wine expertise: Christoph Raffelt