Pavelot’s 9 hectares of vineyards include pieces of just about every Premier Cru in Pernand-Vergelesses, which is often described as being a little “set back” from the long, contiguous, southeast-facing slope that comprises the “Côte d’Or.” It’s a slightly cooler microclimate than neighboring Aloxe-Corton, sitting at the confluence of three separate valleys, with a wider variety of vineyard expositions. As with Pommard, Pernand can be a little bit of an outlier, stylistically, in the Côte de Beaune. Whereas the reds of Volnay, Corton, and Beaune proper skew lush, bright, and red-fruited, Pernand (and Pommard) often skew more ‘masculine,’ mineral…a little more Côte de Nuits in style. When I first tasted the 2014 Pavelot, my mind wandered north to Chambolle-Musigny, then Morey-St-Denis. Lots of intrigue for a ‘humble’ village wine!

Domaine Pavelot’s history in Pernand dates back to the 17th century; today it is ably run by brother-sister duo Luc and Lise Pavelot, who’ve cultivated a dedicated following since taking over the estate in the early ‘90s. Following their formal winemaking education in Beaune, they each set out to see the wine world outside of Burgundy: Luc in the cellars of northern California’s Navarro Vineyards and Lise at the famed Domaine Dagueneau in France’s Loire Valley. After taking the reins from their father, Régis, Luc and Lise moved toward organic viticulture, which was certified through Ecocert in 2009. Their winemaking approach is a mix of modern and traditional: they continue to hand-harvest into old-school Burgundian wicker baskets, but also embrace modern techniques, including moderate amounts of new oak for the aging of some cuvées (the village-level Pernand-Vergelesses sees about 20% new oak).

This 2014 impressed me as a very complete wine: nicely concentrated, beautifully balanced, invitingly aromatic. It’s a deep ruby-red moving to garnet in the glass, announcing itself with an unmistakable Pinot Noir nose of red and black cherry, raspberry, rose petal and baking spices. It is medium-bodied and quite polished on the palate, its acidity lending great energy without excess tartness. It drinks quite nicely right out of the bottle, and yet there’s enough under the hood for it to age (working one’s way through a case of this over the course of a few years would be a delicious exercise). Serve it coolish, between 60 and 65 degrees, in Burgundy stems. It is so nicely balanced that it’ll offer great versatility with food, but its mineral, smoky savor has me thinking of salmon with some earthy lentils and bacon. I could do this combo every night. Enjoy!