From: Burgundy, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Taste: Mineral notes (silex) meet zesty grapefruit, green pear, white peach, acacia, almond, brioche, and a hint of honey and oolong tea leaves in the glass. The palate largely mirrors the aromas in the glass, with lemon curd and a flinty + grapefruit finish balancing a generous and silky mouthfeel. This gorgeous and affordable white Burgundy over-delivers in the glass and could be easily mistaken for a baby Pouilly-Fuissé.
Pairing: Go with the classics— or anything inspired by them. Seared scallops (check out the Sea Scallops Persillade recipe below), grilled prawns or shrimp tacos, poulet roti, veal or chicken in a cream sauce with morels, risotto or pasta, white fish with brown butter, lemon, and tarragon or with herbed blossom butter, and even the humble but delicious jambon et beurre baguette.
Simple Sea Scallops Persillade
By David Tanis
About. Many thanks to importer Rosenthal Wine Merchant for the following information. The cellars of the Domaine Cheveau are situated in the hamlet of Solutré-Pouilly in the heart of the appellation of Pouilly-Fuissé. The domaine was established by André Cheveau in 1950. His efforts were followed by his son, Michel, and now Michel’s two sons, Nicolas and Julien are actively running this fourteen (14) hectare estate. The vineyard holdings are predominantly located in and around Solutré-Pouilly but extend as well into Davayé in the Maconnais and Saint Amour in the Beaujolais. Overall production from Domaine Cheveau is approximately 60,000 bottles per annum.
The vineyards dedicated to Chardonnay are composed of the classic clay-limestone composition that provides the perfect ambience to produce the grand wines of Burgundy. This particular wine comes from vines with an average of 20 years of age, planted on sites with silicious volcanic rocks in the municipalities of Saint-Vérand, Chânes, and Leynes. Although these municipalities are all part of the Saint-Véran appellation (established in 1971), Domaine Cheveau bottles this wine as Bourgogne Blanc.
All harvesting at the Domaine Cheveau is done by hand and the wines are fermented and vinified parcel-by-parcel. Fermentation occurred with natural yeast, and this wine aged for 12 months total, with 90% in stainless steel tanks and 10% in new 600-liter oak barrels. The wine was bottled without any fining.
