Christophe Patrice Chardonnay 2024 750ml

Product Info

Terroir
The 2024 Christophe Patrice Chardonnay comes from the heart of Chablis, where the vineyards of this small, independent domaine lie on ancient Kimmeridgian limestone soils rich in fossilized seashells and marine sediment. This terroir, unique to the northern reaches of Burgundy, is the foundation of Chablis’s unmistakable character—lively, mineral-driven, and pure. The 2024 growing season was classic for the region: a mild spring led to successful flowering, followed by a long, sunny summer punctuated by cool nights that preserved acidity and aromatic precision. Gentle rainfall toward the end of August refreshed the vines and helped maintain balance through harvest. The combination of radiant sunshine and mineral soils yielded fruit of crystalline clarity—grapes that translate the chalky energy and saline tension of Chablis into every glass. Christophe Patrice, a traditionalist and perfectionist in equal measure, crafts his wines to capture exactly this interplay of ripeness, freshness, and stone-borne minerality.

Winemaking & Technical Notes
Rooted in generations of Chablisienne tradition, Christophe Patrice follows a minimalist philosophy in both vineyard and cellar, ensuring that the vineyard speaks louder than the hand of the winemaker. The grapes are hand-harvested and whole-cluster pressed immediately after picking to safeguard delicacy and purity. Fermentation is carried out with native yeasts in stainless steel vats, preserving the precision and brightness of the Chardonnay fruit. Temperature control during fermentation ensures a slow, steady development of aromatics. The wine then rests on its fine lees for 8 to 10 months, adding a subtle creamy texture and depth without muting its tension. No new oak is used—Patrice favors stainless steel and occasionally neutral barrels for select cuvées to highlight minerality over toast. A light filtration precedes bottling to maintain clarity and freshness. The result is a wine that is both quintessentially Chablis and distinctively Christophe Patrice: unadorned, focused, and deeply expressive of place.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2024 Christophe Patrice Chardonnay gleams pale gold with green reflections, signaling youth and energy. The nose opens with a flinty, marine freshness—crushed oyster shell, lemon zest, and green apple—followed by delicate floral tones of hawthorn, acacia, and white blossom. As the wine unfolds, it reveals hints of ripe pear, chalk dust, and subtle almond skin, giving complexity without losing its linear precision. On the palate, the wine is taut and vibrant, a pure thread of minerality running through layers of citrus, stone fruit, and saline tension. The texture is sleek yet rounded from its time on lees, with flavors of lemon curd, white peach, and wet limestone gliding across a finely etched frame. The finish is long, racy, and mouthwatering, echoing with notes of flint, seashell, and a whisper of hazelnut—a signature of Patrice’s restrained, terroir-first style. This is an archetypal cool-climate Chardonnay: elegant, incisive, and alive with mineral energy.

Food Pairing & Service
Serve the Christophe Patrice Chardonnay 2024 well-chilled, around 50–52 °F (10–11 °C), in a tapered white Burgundy glass to accentuate its aromatics and minerality. Its brisk acidity and saline profile make it an exceptional partner to fresh oysters, grilled sea bass with lemon and herbs, or tartare of scallops with citrus and chive oil. It also pairs beautifully with goat cheese and honey crostini, asparagus risotto, or buttered sole meunière. For a simple but perfect match, try it alongside roast chicken with lemon and thyme, where its citrus lift cuts through richness beautifully. This vintage is immediately appealing for its purity and precision but will gain complexity over the next 3–6 years, developing soft honeyed tones and subtle hazelnut depth while retaining its steely Chablis-like freshness.