The 2009 Chablis Bougros Cote de Bouqueyreaux comes across as quite a bit cooler and more reserved than the straight Bougros. It possesses excellent cut, with smoke, slate and a host of other mineral notes that add complexity on the finish. Piuze is one of two producers who make wine from this parcel within Bougros, the other being Fevre. Note the ancient spelling of the vineyard name. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. Patrick Piuze’s resume includes stints with Olivier Leflaive, Jean-Marie Guffens and Domaine Brocard. A desire for more of a hands-on approach in all facets of winemaking led Piuze to start his own micro-negociant operation a few years ago. All of the wines are fermented with ambient yeasts and are aged on their lees in steel and neutral oak with no batonnage. Of the premier crus, the Vaillons, Forets and Butteaux are aged entirely in oak, as are all of the grand crus. The wines go through full malolactic fermentation. Stylistically, the wines lean towards the Cote d’Or in terms of their personalities. In 2009, Piuze began picking on September 14, earlier than normal, and the wines also went into bottle early (before the 2010 harvest), both with the aim of trying to maintain as much freshness as possible. About 50% of the wines are aged in neutral oak. Some of the gems in this lineup are in the entry-level offerings, where there may be less competition for higher quality fruit than in some of the more prestigious sites within Chablis. I was only able to taste one 2010, as the rest of the wines had not yet been bottled at the time of my visit. I also sampled a number of 2008s, including the Vaucoupin, Vaillons, Blanchots and Les Clos, all of which were very pretty. Various American importers, including: David Bowler Wine, New York, NY; (212) 807-1680 and Aliane Wines, La Jolla, CA; tel. (858) 361-4529