Val de Mer
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2024
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh oysters, grilled lobster, roasted poultry with cream sauce
✨ Technical Specifications
Val de Mer is a collaborative label established by the visionary Chablis winemaker Patrick Piuze. Under this artisanal brand, Piuze captures the purest reflections of Burgundy's northernmost terroirs. The Grand Cru offerings under the Val de Mer label are sourced from the historic, steep amphitheater slopes of Chablis, where Kimmeridgian limestone soils—rich in tiny fossilized prehistoric oysters—impart a signature mineral drive. Crafted with a philosophy of minimal cellar intervention and aged to preserve the crystalline purity of the fruit, this wine represents the pinnacle of Chablisienne viticulture, echoing centuries of monastic winemaking tradition with its tension, depth, and vibrant saline 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