From: Burgundy, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: "Once again the nose is firmly reduced. By contrast there is excellent cut and intensity to the more mineral-driven flavors that possess solid mid-palate density while displaying fine depth and persistence on the youthfully austere finale. This is a very good Auxey villages." –Burghound, 91 points
Pairing: The accent of bright acidity running through the core of this wine will make it an excellent pairing with fried chicken. If you'd like to make it yourself, we love Melissa Clark's recipe for Make-Ahead Fried Chicken. Or you could opt for an order from The Chicken Supply on Greenwood Ave! We love this quote on their website: "They say that if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you can do just about anything. Eating fried chicken makes you look good."
About: Jean-Philippe has always been close to the vineyards: he represents the third generation of winemakers in his family. In 1981, thanks to the handing over of one of his father's sharecropping agreements, he could create his own vineyard. The confidence of his father and of the owners allowed him to work on their premises with their equipment for three years. As a result he produced his first vintage at 20 years of age. However, he was forced to rebuild his domaine from scratch in the 1990s, having lost all his best fruit sources—including a piece of Meursault-Perrières—for lack of long-term contracts. But he learned from this experience. By 2000, he had used carefully negotiated long-term fermage and mètayage agreements to create an extraordinary new domaine, brimming with exceptional sites.
Fichet’s methods reflect his philosophy: he is famously meticulous and abhors taking short cuts. His low yields, the foremost key to quality, are achieved through severe winter pruning rather than by green harvesting. And he believes his wines’ expressiveness is enhanced through a patient eighteen- month élevage, with little new oak employed, and by avoiding aggressive lees stirring. Jean-Philippe is the rare grower to bootstrap a new domaine in Burgundy’s modern era; assembling his holdings parcel by parcel over a nearly 40 year career.
