Puligny Montrachet Domaine Alain Chavy 2018

Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 2018 is an absolutely stunning wine. This Puligny-Montrachet produced by Alain Chavy is superb. Citrus fruit characteristics leap out of the glass and onto the nose with subtle and delicate hints of oak. The wine is rich and complex on the palate with citrus fruit and peach flavours. Fresh and minerally at the finish with lingering fruit flavours. Overall a wonderfully well balanced wine. Alain Chavy and his brother worked with their father Gerard in the family Domaine until he retired in 1994. The brothers continued to work together until 2003, when they decided to part. Alain now owns 6.5 hectares of splendid vineyards. As he moved to a new house, a brand new underground cellar was constructed - which is one of the very few in the entire commune. Since the establishment of Domaine Alain Chavy, the quality of the wines is ever improving. Alain makes a restrained style of Puligny with ripe (but never over ripe) fruit balanced by crisp acidity, which are designed to stand up to long ageing. Almost no chemicals are used in the vineyards apart for protection against mildew. All grapes are hand harvested, pressed and fermented in barrel at not more than 25 degrees. The entire crop is barrel fermented, which as Alain believes gives additional depth and intensity to the wines. 20%of the barrels are 400 litres in size, as he believes it keeps the wines rich and complex but with less oaky flavours. The amount of batonnage is low and the malolactic fermentation normally starts late - probably due to the relatively cold temperature in the underground cellar. The wines are not racked before September and have been bottled as late as January - 16 months after the harvest.