Pattes Loup Vent d'Ange Chablis

Domaine Pattes Loup is one of the most exciting estates to emerge from Chablis in recent years (Pattes Loup means "wolf paws"). Thomas Pico started his tiny estate in Courgis in 2005, just outside of the village of Chablis, under the wings of his friends and fellow organic Chablisiens, Alice and Olivier de Moor. He inherited 2.4 hectares of vines from his family’s estate, which historically produced correct, but uninspiring wines. Motivated to take a qualitative leap in a new direction, and against the wishes of his father, Thomas immediately began a program of strict yield control and a conversion to organic viticulture. This is a rarity in Chablis and a feat of extreme diligence in this often inhospitable vinegrowing region.

His Vent d'Ange bottling is his entry level wine, but the substance and style are anything but entry level. Pico incorporates 60+ year-old vines into this cuvee, he ferments with native yeasts in concrete eggs and stainless steel, and he ages on the lees and in bottle for longer than pretty much any producer in the region.

His 2022 Vent d'Ange is a thing of beauty, purity, and terroir. It pours a lovely golden color, and it smells exactly the way Chablis should smell -- of rocks, oyster shells, and energy. I could smell it all day! Even better on the palate, with terrific concentration and flavors of Meyer lemon, green apple, green pear, citrus zest, chalk, and wet , this is one of the great White Burgundy values on the planet.