Terroir Chichee
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2026
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh oysters, grilled sea bass, roasted chicken
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the village of Chichée, situated on the left bank of the Serein River, Patrick Piuze's 'Terroir de Chichée' is a masterful exploration of Chablis's unique geological heritage. The vineyards here are established on steep slopes rich in Kimmeridgian limestone, packed with fossilized prehistoric oyster shells (Exogyra virgula). This specific terroir imparts a distinct, saline minerality to the wine. Piuze's hands-on approach involves harvesting the grapes manually at optimal maturity and fermenting the juice using indigenous yeasts in neutral oak barrels. This traditional, non-interventionist method coaxes out a beautifully textured, rounder expression of Chardonnay that remains anchored by a vibrant, crystalline acidity and a deep, chalky finish.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded on July 1, 2008, by Quebecois vigneron Patrick Piuze, this boutique Chablis négociant-vinificateur has emerged as one of the region's most uncompromising champions of terroir. Following pivotal stints at Olivier Leflaive, Maison Verget under Jean-Marie Guffens, and Jean-Marc Brocard, Piuze established an innovative model grounded in long-term contracts with premier growers. Operating without owning vineyards, he works exclusively with old vines situated within the historical, unexpanded boundaries of Chablis. Sourcing from Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone slopes on both banks of the Serein River, Piuze mandates hand-harvesting, non-interventionist viticulture without chemical inputs, and early picking to preserve tension and saline freshness. Vinification is rigorously artisanal: vertical basket pressing, native yeast fermentation, and aging in neutral French oak barrels (four to eight years old) for cru bottlings or stainless steel for village wines, always bottled unfined and gently filtered. Signature releases include single-terroir village cuvées such as Les Bas de Chapelot and Plateau Cornasse, alongside premier crus like Butteaux, Forêts, and Montée de Tonnerre, and benchmark Grand Crus including Les Preuses and Blanchots.
🍇 Grapes
Chardonnay