 |
 |
 |
|
AM93
A wonderfully broad-ranging nose is composed by a pungent and classic nose of mineral reduction, floral, pear, apple and iodine scents. As is usually the case this is bigger, richer and more powerful than any of the other wines in the range and possesses copious amounts of dry extract that coats the palate on the dense and strikingly long finale. Despite the size, weight and richness there is ample acidity that maintains the balance and allows this to remain refreshing. Textbook Butteaux.
Thomas Pico founded his now 15 ha domaine in 2006 and farms his fruit organically; indeed he is certified by Ecocert. Pico explained that the domaine name, which literally translates as the wolves' feet, is actually a lieu-dit within his holdings. The style is full-on and what I would call glyceral and phenolic, which is to say there is a thickly unctuous, even oily texture and a very vinous flavor profile to Pico's wines yet with no lack of supporting acidity that keeps them fresh and bracing. One other interesting aspect is that wines from Côte de Jouan and Beauregard are very rarely declared under their own names.
With respect to the 2014 vintage Pico noted that "we had a troubled flowering and because July was much cooler than normal we were worried that the fruit might not ripen adequately. Fortunately September was hot and dry and thus we were able to harvest ripe and clean fruit that possessed both good sugars and acidities. Yields though were not especially abundant due to the poor flowering but overall we realized around 35 hl/ha. As to the wines, I love this vintage as the wines display each specific terroir clearly and moreover, the firm acidities confirm that they are built to age, in fact they're going to need it." The 2014s were bottled in March, 2016. (Burghound)
RP92
The 2014 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux, which is matured in the same fashion as the Beauregard, has an elegant bouquet with chalk, yellow flowers, dry granite and a touch of smoke--quite backward and demanding more coaxing than the Beauregard. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, a "transparent" Chablis, stony and penetrating, very natural and refined with a healthy dash of white pepper that lingers on the finish. This is very fine. (eRobertParker)
Thomas Pico started his domaine with 2.4ha vineyards in Courgis located in the edge of Chablis in 2005. Domaine Pattes Loup(means "wolf’s paws") is one of the few "natural wine" in Chablis as well as Alice et Olivier de Moor(in fact Thomas Pico had many advices from Alice et Oliver de Moor).
His father had produced ordinary Chablis, Thomas Pico sharply changed direction to quality oriented vineyards management and wine-making when he inherited father's vineyards. He began to strictly control the yield and stop using all chemical products in the vineyards. It is quite rare in Chablis, because Chablis has big demand from all over the world, so all the Chablis producers seek for volume then quality is not a first priority. So choice is limited for the serious wine connoisseurs.
Thomas Pico cultivates vineyards based on biologic(partly Biodynamie), harvest by hand, with hand sorting. He ferments all his wines using indigenous yeasts. 14-16 months ageing in old barrel and bottled without fining and filtration. (for the 55 years old vines Chablis is fermented in concrete egg-shaped fermenters(30-40%) with the balance in stainless steel.) Pico's wine clearly expresses typicity of Chablis's soil with gentle and tender touch of Vin Nature.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
