DOMAINE CHENEVIERES, CHABLIS "LES GRANDES VIGNES"

BURGUNDY, FRANCE 2016

What Frédéric Gueguen has accomplished in the wines of Domaine Chenevieres is nothing short of incredible. As the former vineyard manager of leading Chablis estate Domaine Brocard, Frederic Gueguen (son-in law of Jean-Marc Brocard) and his wife Celine Brocard approach wine with the same philosophy and principles underlying the Brocard family mantra – “Look, be quiet and learn.” These seemingly simple 5 words are the foundation for Burgundy powerhouse Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard and Guegen’s Domaine Chenevieres.

From the beginning, for the Brocard family, it was of utmost importance to understand the full picture and implications of establishing a winery. It wasn’t just about the terroir, but also about the vineyard’s impact on the ecosystem. It wasn’t just about vines and clusters, but also the natural yeasts in the vineyards. For the Brocard family, to make great wine was to learn from what nature was telling you – and to do this, you had to listen.

Quickly they learned that the micro-organisms and animals in the vineyards played a critical role. They learned that wines created from grapes coming from a vibrantly active ecosystem had energy and power. They learned that in the winery, you couldn’t manipulate the wines with new barrels or interfere with what was naturally occurring by adding chemicals or non-organic compounds.

To some, this may sound over the top or a bit too romanticized, but when the soil you plant on is chalky limestone from the Jurassic era, it is exactly what you need to do to create wine that is full of power.

We recently offered the Chenevieres Premier Cru Fourchaume, and as a follow up, today we are offering the 2016 Domaine Chenevieres Chablis "Les Grandes Vignes", a wine crafted from a select parcel of older vines within the Chablis AOC. This wine is powerful – at first, seemingly out of character for a Chablis AOC. But what Gueguen has managed to achieve here (a powerhouse white that screams terroir) is by listening and learning from the world around him. This wine is delicious and while it could easily age a decade or so, I don’t see any need for that. In fact, I don’t see how anyone could not drink up a wine of this quality at a price point so friendly.

Today’s offer is for a 12-bottle case of 2016 Domaine Chenevieres "Les Grandes Vignes" at over 25% off. As with almost all our Burgundy offers, stock is limited. We suggest acting quickly to secure an order. This could be a strong contender for my Summer Wine of 2019.