Whether you are just turning on to elite, age-worthy white Burgundy or are already a seasoned collector, my advice is the same when it comes to Chassagne-Montrachet: Get to know Jean-Marc Pillot. For my money, this is the benchmark domaine in this storied village, with one of the most impressive collections of prime vineyard parcels—especially at the Premier Cru level.
Name a famous Premier Cru in Chassagne and there’s a good chance Pillot has a presence there: He bottles a whopping nine Premier Cru whites from Chassagne, the only caveat being that most are produced in minuscule quantities. Today’s wine is from just a quarter-hectare of vines in a prime subsection of the “Morgeot” Premier Cru—arguably the best-known Premier Cru in town and the source of the most bold, broad-shouldered Chardonnays in the extensive Pillot lineup. “Les Fairendes” is the name of Pillot’s old-vine parcel within Morgeot and it produces one of the most opulent, whole-body white Burgundies one could hope to drink—a wine with Grand Cru aspirations even as its price remains below the three-figure mark. Because very little is made, we have very little to share, so little that I considered just parceling it out to family and friends with a healthy stash reserved for myself. But that would be so selfish—take up to six bottles today and know you’ve got an iron-clad collectible on your hands, for enjoyment in both the short and long term!
For producers in Chassagne-Montrachet, which was especially hard-hit by Spring frosts in 2016, the 2017 vintage was a return to a normal-sized harvest—and an excellent on at that. But a quarter hectare (a little over a half hectare) is only going to produce so much wine regardless. In a less insane year than 2020, the few bottles of “Morgeot-Les Fairendes” that make it to the US might have passed us by, but we managed to wrangle a few—and we are very glad we did. As I’ve said before, Pillot doesn’t miss the mark, ever, and this wine is a voluptuous, yet-tension-filled, example of his resolutely classic house style. Pillot’s vines in Les Fairendes were planted in 1970, and that old-vine profundity (and impeccable balance) is on glorious display.
Jean-Marc is the fourth consecutive generation of his family to be involved in winemaking. He began apprenticing directly beneath his father, Jean, in 1985. By 1991, he 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.
The bulk of these vineyards are in Chassagne-Montrachet, where Morgeot, as many Burgundy lovers know, is the largest Premier Cru in Chassagne, totaling about 50 hectares and containing numerous subdivisions. Morgeot is also one of the Chassagne vineyards that contains a substantial percentage of Pinot Noir along with Chardonnay. At one time, in fact, the village of Chassagne contained more “black” grapes than white; only in the last few decades have the proportions shifted, and rather dramatically, but Morgeot is among the better-known sites producing stellar wines in both colors.
Today’s 2017 is trademark Pillot, bursting with vivid minerality and richly textured, impeccably pure fruit. The hand-harvested fruit is fermented and aged in 228-liter Burgundy barrels, of which roughly 25% are new. When you put your nose in the glass, there’s only one thing this can be: the finest white Burgundy, crystalline and textured and spellbinding. In the glass, it shines a brilliant yellow with silver and vivid green reflections. Salted lemon, white peach, and yellow apples ease right into a luscious core of limestone and crushed-rock minerality that radiates with citrus blossoms and myriad white/yellow flowers. Its aromas are enticingly seductive and the palate shines with brilliant energy and plush, fleshy fruit. The accessibility, or ‘openness,’ of the wine is a Pillot signature: You can enjoy this wine immensely now or cellar it for 10+ years! If it’s the former, serve in large Burgundy stems around 50-55 degrees after a 60-minute decant. Show it off to your wine-connoisseur friends and a flashy lobster pasta in a rich, herbed cream sauce. Prepare for a standing ovation because this pairing is the very top of the “luxury tier.” Enjoy!
