Established in 1976, Domaine Paul Chapelle is a relatively young domaine by Burgundy standards. Prior to starting his own domaine, Paul Chapelle had made a name for himself as a consulting oenologist at some of the best estates in the Côte de Beaune.
Retiring after the 1995 vintage, he handed over the reigns to his son-in-law, who was responsible for the vineyard management and winemaking from 1996 - 2009. The reigns have since been passed to Chapelle's daughter, Christine Beck Chapelle, who has re-immersed herself in the domaine and today oversees all aspects.
We recently just acquired his 2011 AC Puligny Montrachet, and I thought it was worth looking into. In fact, anytime we get a Puligny in stock that is under-$50 a bottle, it always intrigues my curiosity. And with summer in full swing, I’m always looking for new white wines to try.
So as you can see, I had plenty of reasons to test out this so called “new producer” last weekend. We had a lovely picnic planned with friends in Central Park, and I thought this would be the perfect occasion to open this bottle. I poured out a little bit into everyone’s glass and was curious to hear the feedback. On the nose we all agreed it was apricots, pears, a little anise and a slight hint of hazelnut. It had plenty of body and finesse and was drinking quite well. It was definitely the perfect wine for a mid-summer afternoon picnic in the park.
With only 70 cases being produced annually there isn’t much of this around, but if you’re looking for a killer Puligny in the under-$50 range then you’ll be hard pressed to find a better one. Lucky for you, we still have a very small quantity remaining in stock, so don’t hesitate to give one of the best kept secrets in Burgundy a try. Although I may have just left the secret out …