Henri Chauvet Abrupts Coter d'Auvergne Boudes 2023
Henri Chauvet Abrupts Coter d'Auvergne Boudes 2023 – alternate view 2
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Henri Chauvet Abrupts Coter d'Auvergne Boudes 2023

Henri Chauvet
$75.00

Grape: Gamay
Vintage: 2023
Type: Red

This low-intervention red wine is a pure varietal bottling of gamay sourced from steep, volcanic hillside plots in Boudes. Winemaker Henri Chauvet manages the vineyard organically, where the vines grow directly into shattered basalt and blue marl soils. The hand-picked grapes undergo a shortened twelve-to-fifteen day whole-cluster maceration inside large truncated wooden vats using native wild yeasts. The wine ages in a selection of old neutral oak barrels and is bottled without yeast additions, fining, or filtration.

It pours a translucent ruby color, opening with high-toned floral aromas, wild red currant, and fresh violet petals. A light-to-medium-bodied frame pairs crunchy berry fruit with a distinct whole-cluster stem structure. Savory notes of brown spices and white pepper add depth across the fluid mouthfeel without feeling heavy. A clean wave of mountain acidity runs through the center, keeping the thick-skinned fruit refreshed. It finishes completely bone-dry, leaving a light mineral trail.

Henri Chauvet is a new-generation vigneron in Boudes, in the southern Auvergne, who left a career in banking and insurance to pursue wine after training with Jérôme Bressy and Thierry Allemand. In 2021 he took over Annie Sauvat's 10.5-hectare estate and began converting its steep vineyards to organic farming. Gamay, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grow across volcanic basalt, colorful marl, limestone and iron-rich clay, giving Chauvet a wide range of distinct parcels. Fermentations use native yeasts, the wines are unfined and unfiltered, and sulfur is used only as needed, creating natural wines of clarity, texture and volcanic energy.