Our Growers:

The Picqs are among the elite of growers who understand that quality starts in the vineyard. This hard work in the vines produces well-aired, rot-resistant plants that yield riper fruit which are in balance and rich in flavor. Brothers Didier and Pascal prune very severely in winter and de-bud twice, in May and at the end of June. Picq's low yields give them good acidity, and the wines always have 'nerve.' They vinify only in stainless steel tanks.

Chablis: Picq's cuvee of "regular" Chablis is an assemblage of a number of different vineyard sites, with different exposures and vines which average 20 years of age. They are all in the commune of Chichee southeast of the town of Chablis, on high slopes on either side of the Serein river, a very high quality growing area with two Premiers Crus: Vaucoupin and Vosgros. The village of Chichee is well-known for its Marne kimmeridgian soil, which makes for dry, lively, mineral wines. Picq's Chablis is a model of the genre. It has good style and good acidity. Stephen Tanzer (#139) says of the 2006 Chablis, which he gives 90-92 points: " Bright, pale yellow. Pure aromas of lemon and gingery spices. Supple, rich and broad, with yellow fruit flavors that are sweet but not excessively so. Very ripe wine with rather soft acidity, les exotic than the 2007."

Chablis Dessus la Carriere is made from two lieux-dits ("named sites" or single vineyard sites): 30 year-old vines on west-facing S?on and 28 year-old vines on Paradis which face due south. The two sites are close by one another and share a very unusual sub-soil of solid limestone rock. Indeed, Picq's parcel of vines borders a precipice, below which sits an abandoned limestone quarry: that's the sub-soil into which these vines send their roots for water and minerals. The age of the vines, and the terroir of uneroded rock, make for a bracing, textbook expression of minerality. Aging in stainless steel tanks allows this to come through with great purity and transparency. This is an elegant wine with a gun-flint flavor, that is only sold in the US and London. Stephen Tanzer (#139) gives the 2006 Dessus La Carriere 90 points: "Highly perfumed, almost exotic aromas of citrus blossom, licorice, spices and violet; almost muscat-like in its aromatic quality. Then supple and silky, but with a strong stony underpinning giving great verve to the very dry, spicy flavors. The slow-mounting, very long finish is ultimately quite explosive."

Chablis "Vieilles Vignes": Picq's Vieilles Vignes come from three parcels of land which are more than 50 years old and are hand-picked. The wines are aged for 10-12 months in stainless steel vats. The Vieilles Vignes always has a richness and depth of minerality that sets it apart from Didier's other wines, even the premiers crus that show the superior race (breeding) of their terroir. It has the complexity and the breeding of a premier cru, joining the noble floral aromas of acacia to those of field mushrooms. It is a full-bodied wine with lots of depth and liveliness and a beautiful finish. Stephen Tanzer (#139) gives the 2006 Vieilles Vignes 92 points: "Bright yellow. Complex, almost riesling-like aromas of pineapple, silex, earth and ginger. Big, broad and rich, conveying a sweeter and slightly warmer impression than the Dessus la Carriere. Perhaps not quite as precise, and a tad more exotic, but this boasts lovely minerality for village Chablis and finishes rich, dry and impressively long. Picq ultimately added about 25% Vaudecorse to this wine, as he felt it contributed minerality and tension to the old-vines juices, which he found "almost heavy" at 13.5% natural alcohol.

Vaucoupin: Picq's vines at the premier cru Vaucoupin are a little more than 15 years old, but the site is simply magnificent: full-south, on a slope frighteningly steep with very deep soil. The wine is aged in stainless steel vats for 12-15 months. This is always a big wine with lots of concentration. Firm, rich, ripe and succulent. Stephen Tanzer (#139) gives the 2006 Vaucoupin 91 points: "Pale yellow. Knock-out nose melds pineapple, grapefruit, white truffle, porcini and baked bread; smells like it saw some oak but it didn't. Then wonderfully sweet and broad bt with terrific grip to the citrus and mineral flavors; there's a faintly exotic quality here but not at the expense of freshness or cut. A stepup in intensity and sheer sweetness of fruit from the village wines. Finishes wonderfully broad and long, with outstanding depth of flavor. I find this accessible right now owing to its rich texture and captivating soil tones, but Picq assured me that his top 06's remain fresh in the recorked bottles for a solid week, which suggests that they will age slowly and well."

Vogros: At the premier cru Vosgros, two-thirds of the vines on Picq's two small plots are over 35 years old; the other third are about 20 years old. The wine matures on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks for 12 to 15 months. This is a very long and complete wine with lots of depth. It is pure, clean and full-bodied with a fresh, mineral finish. Didier Picq describes the wine as austere when young, but with a greater aging potential than his other premier cru, Vaucoupin. There are very limited quantities of this wine available. For 2007, nearly 80% of the harvest was lost to hail. Stephen Tanzer (#139) gives the 2006 Vosgros 93 points: "Bright yellow. Subtly pure, complex aromas of red grapefruit, orange zest, minerals, clove and nutmeg. Fat, lush and sweet; not quite as gripping or sharply delineated as the Vaucoupin but even larger-scaled. Finishes broad and classically dry, with terrific minerally persistence."