PRODUCER: Domaine Chavy-Chouet
REGION: Côte d'Or, Burgundy, France
WINEMAKERS: Romaric Chavy
WINERY HISTORY
While many native Burgundians are enmeshed in wine from an early age, few start formal training as early as Romaric Chavy. Enrolling at wine school aged just twelve years old, Romaric honed his craft during apprenticeships at prominent wineries like Domaine d’Aupilhac and Radford-Dale. Having assumed the reigns of his family's 15ha estate back in 2006, at the age of just twenty-two, Romaric possesses the technical nous and know-how of one much older. Stretched across the villages of Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, St Aubin, Volnay, and Pommard, Romaric's family have spent generations accumulating some of the finest vineyards in the whole of the Côte d'Or. These include the famed ‘Clos Corvées de Citeaux’ monopole in Meursault, as well as Premier Cru holdings in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
Farming at the estate follows the lutte raisonée methodology, where minimal intervention techniques are used to ensure fruit of only the highest calibre. These techniques include arduous manual ploughing and the spraying of limited quantities of copper and sulphur, which has allowed the Domaine to be herbicide free for over 30 years.
Tradition defines Romaric Chavy’s winemaking style. All the whites are whole bunch pressed while the reds are 100% destemmed, with spontaneous fermentation for the whites in barrel and the reds in concrete tank. None of the wines are fined or filtered and new oak is kept to a minimum, with 20% used for the village and 1er crus and old barrels for the Bourgognes. The Pinot Noirs are defined by structure, finesse, fruitiness, and strength, while the whites dazzle with elegant minerality and freshness. The Domaine’s offerings – ranging from exceedingly refined to comfortably approachable – reveal Romaric’s quest for excellence in his pure and balanced wines. Reflective of Romaric’s self, the bottlings crafted at Domaine Chavy-Chouet are full of the same personality, sensitivity, and uncompromising character that define their creator.
Across the portfolio the wines show outstanding tension and clarity, each different appellation and vineyard clearly displaying their unicity. Having ended his father’s practice of selling grapes to négociants - and having invested in a spacious new, state-of-the-art winery - Romaric continues to improve Chavy-Chouet’s already hugely impressive range. Fresh, vibrant and eminently enjoyable at all stages of their lives, Chavy-Chouet produces some of the greatest Burgundies we've ever had the privilege of tasting.
IN THE PRESS
"It is always a pleasure to discover a producer who has skimmed under your Burgundy radar for some time. Chavy-Chouet has built a loyal following here in the UK and I can understand why. These wines are very pure, terroir-driven and focused. Yet they are not challenging or pretentious and give much sensory pleasure." - Neal Martin, Vinous
"Romaric Chavy, who succeeded his father Hubert at the helm of this 13-hectare domaine in early 2006, is a young but experienced vigneron producing pure, tensile wines that are typically distinguished by their racy acids and aromatic precision. Tangy but not reductive, the wines start out life quite tight-knit and blossom in bottle." - William Kelley, Wine Advocate
