Alain Chavy Puligny Montrachet Chardonnay 2019

In 1994, the Domaine Gérard Chavy family estate was split in two between brothers Alain and Jean-Louis, who had formerly the estate together. Jean-Louis went his way and Alain went his.

We don't want to wade in on this French familial affair, but we do want to wade in with our opinions on Alain's winemaking skills: he's blooming talented! He makes this shimmying, sassy, apricot and lime-imbued jewel of a white wine in his half of the domaine and ages it in what is one of the few underground wine cellars in Burgundy, where this Pulighny-Montrachet has aged sublimely. To be savoured.

Alain Chavy and his brother Jean-Louis divided up the family estate, Domaine Gérard Chavy in 1994 and both created their own Domaines. Alain constructed a new cellar underneath his house and is one of the few in Puligny to be underground as the water table there is higher than in other parts of the Côte d'Or. Alain now works and lives at the Domaine with his wife, Corinne, and their three children.

Alain prefers a restrained style of Puligny with ripe but never over-ripe fruit, balanced by crisp acidity. He wants his wines to be able to age gracefully.

No weed killers are used in the vineyard but the rows are ploughed regularly. Alain has abandoned the use of anti-botrytis sprays as more meticulous work in the vineyard makes them unnecessary. All the grapes are harvested by hand. The grapes are pressed and fermented in barrel at 25-26C. Alain practices minimal battonage and the malolactic conversion is often late in this Domaine. The wines are bottled 16 months after harvest.

This is a steely, lemon, lime and apricot-flavoured wine of great elegance which is from a classic vintage and shows citrus and terroir characters of great concentration, combined with spicy oak notes, and a long length.