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Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot, Chassagne Montrachet, Morgeot Fairandes

Burgundy, France 2011 (750mL)
$75.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol
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Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot, Chassagne Montrachet, Morgeot Fairandes


(Please note this wine will not ship until next Thursday)

Jean-Marc Pillot is the 4th consecutive generation of his family to be involved in winemaking.  He began apprenticing directly beneath his father, Jean, in 1985. By 1991 Jean-Marc had assumed leadership of the family property, though he is assisted in numerous regards by his wife, Nadine, and sister, Beatrice. Pillot owns and farms a dizzying diversity of Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in the villages of Santenay, Puligny, Meursault, Montigny and Remigny. Still, for me, the family’s finest wines originate from their ample Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet holdings. 

Today’s wine originates from 45 year-old vines in Pillot’s tiny ¼ hectare parcel in the Premier Cru of Morgeot. This plot is renowned for producing Chassagne-Montrachet of notable strength, ripe fruit, richness and intensity. The tiny sub-parcel of Morgeot that Pillot works within, “Les Fairendes,” adds elegance and finesse to the equation. In the 2011 vintage, all of these qualities are turned up a notch. There is more depth, more complex structure, more finesse, and a three dimensional quality to the fruit that is stunning. This is an outstanding wine. 

The Pillot family hand harvested fruit for this wine in late September 2011, before fermentation in 90% neutral and 10% new oak barrels. Following fermentation, the wine aged on its fine lees for a year, before being racked into stainless steel tanks where it rested and clarified for an additional six months. Pillot does not filter or cold stabilize to rush along the process, so his wines always retain a pronounced vividness and dimension that is impossible to counterfeit. These are authentic wines that express the Chassagne-Montrachet terroir in clear relief. Less than 60 cases of this incredible wine were imported into the US; I do not expect it to last long.

In the glass, the 2011 Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet is bright yellow core with green and golden hues on the rim. The nose is incredible: aromas of fresh acacia pollen, honeysuckle and finely crushed stones dominate the nose with fresh yellow apple, Bosc pear, lemon blossoms, and fresh hazelnuts in perfect harmony. On the palate the wine is strikingly mineral, yet perfectly textured and whole. The flavors on the palate exhibit white truffle, white peach, yellow apple, limestone, fresh white flowers and a touch of oyster shell. This wine is absolutely on fire right now, and I highly recommend enjoying a few bottles over the next few months. Whatever remains, if any, will age effortlessly for the next 10+ years, but remember storage conditions play an integral role in how the wine will show years down the line. For now, I encourage you to open this wine and pour directly into large Burgundy stems at cellar temperature—then, strap in for the ride! The wine will develop and change drastically during the first hour as the temperature rises, so give it time and pay close attention. Every few minutes the wine will evolve. This is a memorable and deeply satisfying wine that epitomizes everything I love about drinking white Burgundy.
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceChassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru
Soil
Limestone and Clay
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Chardonnay
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
10% New French

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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