La Grande Comète Chardonnay 2024 is the top Chardonnay from Académie Wines, a new Willamette Valley project launched by an unusually high-profile team: Thomas Savre, Dominique Lafon, and Bertrand de Villaine. The project is still in its earliest public phase. According to reporting by Owen Bargreen, Académie’s first release is “scheduled for Fall 2026,” which means the 2024 La Grande Comète has not yet reached the normal review cycle for critics and publications.

What is clear so far is the intent and positioning. Bargreen describes Académie as a “new Willamette Valley project” built around Savre as “Partner and Winemaker,” noting his background was “trained in Burgundy” and that he brings “a decade of Willamette Valley experience.” That mix—Burgundian training applied to Oregon vineyards—signals a classical framework, but the partners have been explicit about avoiding imitation. The winery’s stated goal, as summarized by Bargreen, is “not to make Oregon Burgundy but to explore what American wine can become.” In practical terms, that suggests the wine is meant to read as regionally grounded rather than as a stylistic replica of the Côte d’Or.

The wine’s name is tied to a specific moment in Oregon rather than a vineyard designation. Bargreen reports that La Grande Comète is “named in homage to the comet Tsuchinshan‑ATLAS that appeared over the Willamette Valley in October 2024,” anchoring the 2024 vintage to the brand’s origin story.

As of now, there are no professional tasting notes, scores, or published bottle-specific technical details to report. Terroirs Export’s technical-sheet listing explicitly indicates no tech sheet is available for this wine. For buyers, the strongest “review” at this stage is effectively the pedigree of the founding partners and the clearly articulated aim for the project, with availability expected to begin via the Fall 2026 release.