Chavy-Chouet’s Wines Are Now Priced in the Elite Tier at Standard Retail ($150+)
– He Gets Better Every Year
– The Distinct Chavy Style Combines Density, Fruit, Minerality and Acidic Balance to Keep Freshness
– I Still Buy Them Direct and They Are Great Values for the Quality
The Style
– Among the Most Delicious Whites in Burgundy
– Tremendous Fruit Concentration and Intensity
– Brilliantly Mineral and Balanced With Top Notch Finesse
– Romaric is Using Less and Less Oak
– So Saline as Well Now
– Top 20 Producer of Whites in Burgundy
– The Wines Should Be Much More Expensive
– 2016 Was The “Breakthrough” Vintage/Everything Since Then Is Elite
2022 Chavy-Chouet Meursault “Narvaux”
– Nose: Glorious
– Scents of Lime Orchard, Apple Blossoms
– Citrus
– Hint of Mint
– Palate: Huge Chavy Concentration
– Orchard Fruits
– Meursaultian Nuts
– Really Explodes on the Palate
– Creamy and Powerful
– A Ridiculous Value for Top Notch White Burgundy
– Chavy-Chout Power, Balance and Concentration at a Discount
– Shimmering and Bright
Though the mills of God grind slowly; Yet they grind exceeding small
translated into English by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The point of this proverb is that justice / divine retribution may not look like it is happening, because God takes his time, but in the end, there will be retribution. God just takes his time. And while we mere mortals may not see what we are doing in the slices of time that we pay attention to, God is doing is work, perhaps more slowly than we can recognize.
I sort of feel the same way about the progress at Chavy Chouet. I drink the wines every year and even I may not recognize progress from year to year. But every 3-4 years or so, I’m like, “wow, the wines are a lot better than they were 3-4 years ago.” And this has happened with remarkable regularity.
We’ve been working together since the 2013 vintage and now he is in phase 3 of his evolution and I have no doubt there will be a phase 4.
Phase 1 – 2013/2014/2015
Phase 2 – 2016/2017/2018/2019
Phase 3 – 2020/2021/2022
Phase 4 – ?????
I had a wonderful visit with Romaric Chavy Chouet this past July and he is at the top of the white Burgundy hierarchy these days. The level of improvement he has showed since 16 is remarkable but I think 20/21/22 are all on another level and in 22, he has really upped his game and is maybe a top 6-8 estate in all of the Cote de Beaune for whites. The level of precision and nimbleness is remarkable. The purity is better than it has ever been and the depth is deep ocean as I like to say.
The 2022 Vintage
His 22s are just electric and have that acid and mineral spine that all white Burgundy lovers crave. But they also have gorgeous dramatic fruit and according to Romaric, more freshness and acidity than his 20s and 19s. It’s a clone of 2014 and is similar climatically. They anticipated harvest early and managed to capture the acidity that white Burgundy lovers crave. Romaric says it’s his best vintage and his evolution as a winemaker is so damn impressive. The 22s here are remarkable. The contrast between freshness and the beautiful fruit of the vintage along with that salinity and purity is awe inspiring. The wines are the purest and most refined Romaric has made yet with unreal energy. These wines are so engaging and sadly they are allocated in 2022.
I cannot sell every wine in every vintage but the 2022 Chavy-Chouet Meursault Narvaux is so rare and so awesome and so I will take all I can get and it is a knockout. It can be had for $79.99 a bottle NET. This is incredible terroir and is situated right next to Genevrieres and Poruzots, two famous and expensive 1er Crus. It’s elevation is slightly lower than the famous high acid and high mineral “Les Tillets” of which Roulot’s is the benchmark. I love Narvaux and this is an extraordinary one and compares to the PYCM version that goes for anywhere between $80-$125. This is a significantly better value. It’s not close. This drinks wonderfully young and doesn’t have all that new PYCM wood.
The nose is glorious with scents of lime orchard, apple blossoms, mint and citrus. Lots of complex nuttiness as well. So unique and so Narvaux. Nose is also so mineral. Lemony and buttery. But it’s overwhelmingly mineral and scene in the forest. Saline. Rock quarry vibes. Lemon pith, lemon flesh with hints of sugar. So complex and appealing. Hint of butter and loads of salinity. Nose is just a wonderful perfume.
It is dazzlingly pure and full of complexity on the palate with loads of orchard fruits but also creamy and powerful with on point acidity and such clarity. Palate is racy and ripe but has terrific acidity, freshness and cut. Long finish. Juicy and so pure. Really awesome stuff. Wow as this opens the e berg is palpable and the complexity is off the charts. So good. Nice richness on the palate now with a few hours of air. The gains in the precision of Romaric’s wines since we started in 13 to now is the most remarkable part of his evolution. The palate on this wine is so refined and so concentrated and just explodes on your palate. This is really spectacular for the money. Stunning. Below is the 91 Point Neal Martin Score from Vinous for 2019.
“The 2020 Meursault Les Narvaux has a perfumed, floral bouquet with touches of white flowers infusing the citrus peel and orange pith aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, a slightly waxier texture than Chavy-Chouet’s other cuvées, with fine persistence on the finish. Very good length here..” – 92 Points, Vinous, Neal Martin (2020)
Midjourney
As you know, we believe that strict recitations of tasting notes is only part of the story of a wine. We’ve always tried to include metaphors to try to give our readers a better understanding of how wines impact us. These metaphors have included architecture, painting, music and poetry.
We’re trying something new to help create visual metaphors using Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence program that is by far the best image gneratour out there. I’ve messed around with a bunch and this is by far the best. We look forward to hearing your feedback.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your firstorder if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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