As some of the more wine savvy amongst you will surely know, 2017 saw massive frost and shortages in Chablis. This occurred in numerous parts of Burgundy. Up and down the ladder scarcity exists due to extreme hail and frost. Some vineyards lost all of their crop while most in the realm of 50% and up.  For what remains, there is greatness, especially in Chablis. But there are numerous shortages and due to the basic economic idea called "supply and demand" prices are rising a bit.

Enter Patrick Piuze. At Some Good Wine we have been huge fans and are one of the top sellers of his wines up and down. The 2017s are a fascinating mix. Overall, they are round and wholesome with the always evolving terroir distinctions. Razor sharp but flirty with their acid and avoiding the mistake of killing the fruit and juicy roundness that when done right, should all come together and make the dimples move into the eyes with carelessness. Good Chablis has a mind of its own and can easily exist as a Chardonnay of exquisite being and uniqueness like the boys down south and when you see the QPR (quality price ratio) there is no reason not to be a Chabliever. (cross between Chablis and believer which I coined a year ago and will use it until something terrible happens to Justin Bieber that makes it no longer funny or relevant.)

To quote my friend Michele Peters who is responsible for these wines in the U.S.: “We visited Piuze in February to taste the 2017’s out of barrel. Unfortunately, 2017 was another vintage that was hit by frost. To cope with the losses, the Piuze team decided to diversify and sought out more fruit, finding a new single-vineyard in the village level, new 1er Cru Sechets, and some very special Aligoté from Saint-Bris. Unfortunately, there was no village-level Découverte or 1er Cru Vaulorent bottled in 2017 because of the frost. The quality of the 2017’s is excellent. Patrick Piuze describes it as “a combination of 2015 and 2014. It has the approachability and skin maturity of 2015 and the acidity and structure of 2014.”