# Domaine Henri Chauvet À Fleur de Peau Côtes d'Auvergne Blanc (2024)

- **Producer:** Domaine Henri Chauvet
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €75
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, orange, apple, peach, blossom, herbaceous, smoke

## About this wine

Domaine Henri Chauvet is located in Boudes in the Puy-de-Dôme department of Auvergne, France. Winemaker Henri Chauvet transitioned from a corporate career in banking to pursue artisanal viticulture, training under renowned natural winemakers in the Rhône Valley, including Thierry Allemand in Cornas. In 2021, Chauvet acquired vineyards in Boudes to work with ancient volcanic soils. The cuvée 'À Fleur de Peau' translates to 'just beneath the skin,' a nod to both the emotional sensitivity of the terroir and the skin maceration technique used for this bottling. The fruit comes from an ultra-small 0.20-hectare parcel of old Chardonnay vines grown on steep basalt slopes.

## Interesting facts

- Producer Henri Chauvet transitioned from a career in corporate banking to create minimal-intervention wines in Auvergne.
- 'À Fleur de Peau' translates to 'just beneath the skin,' referencing both emotional vulnerability and whole-cluster skin contact.
- Sourced from a tiny 0.20-hectare single parcel of old-vine Chardonnay planted on steep volcanic slopes in Boudes.
- Aging takes place in a combination of neutral old oak barrels and sandstone jars (jarres de grès).

## Food pairing

The wine's broad skin-contact texture, energetic natural acidity, and intense mineral persistence allow it to cut through rich sauces while complementing complex proteins like shellfish, roasted poultry, and matured regional cheeses.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested from steep volcanic slopes. Vinification involves a seven-day whole-cluster skin maceration prior to a long, gentle pneumatic press. Fermentation occurs spontaneously using only native yeasts with no chaptalization, debourbage, or batonnage. The wine ages between 9 and 24 months in a combination of neutral old oak barrels and sandstone jars (jarres de grès). The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal added sulfur.