CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET

2012 1er Cru Grandes Ruchottes Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

Grapes Chardonnay
Colour White
Origin France, Burgundy
District Côte d'Or
Sub-district Côte de Beaune
Village Chassagne Montrachet
Classification 1er Cru
ABV 13.5%
Vineyard Grandes Ruchottes

As seamless as the Vide Bourse, but with more volume and the slightly 'harder' mineral drive to complement the concentration. Grand Vin from an exciting terroir. L&S (Dec 2013)


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This is the first wine in the range to be firmly reduced and I would strongly advise decanting it first if you're tempted to try a bottle young. There is both good ripeness and freshness to the concentrated, intense and mineral-driven flavors that brim with palate coating dry extract before culminating in a highly complex and citrus-infused finish. This beautiful effort is restrained and cool with really lovely balance. Recommended provided that you have the patience to cellar it for at least 4 to 5 years first. 2019+ Rating: 92 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Jun 2014)

Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Jan 2014)

Smoky, lightly reductive. Ripe apples and floral perfume. Shortish finish. 2014-2018 Rating: 16.5 Richard Hemming MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Jan 2014)

Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

The origins of the Pillot family in Chassagne can be traced back to the eighteenth century, when they seem to have been coopers more than vignerons. In the nineteenth century they abandoned barrel-making in favour of enlarging the property in Chassagne. Fernand and Laurent, who is the fourth generation, added to it again in 1992, and then in 2001 Laurent's wife Marie-Anne inherited half of her family's property, the Pommard domaine of Pothier-Rieusset, and Laurent and his father bought the other half. The domaine now stands at 14.5 hectares of vines across almost the whole length of the Côte de Beaune from Santenay to Beaune.

The Domaine is worked according to organic principles and are ploughed – no chemical weedkillers are used. They have also been members of the Dephy-ECO-phyto group, which works to reduce the number of treatments using copper sulphate, since 2012. In 2021 they began the process of organic certification.

Laurent has always managed to pack in a lot alongside his running of the vineyard. He has his own plane which he flies to all corners of France, used keep and hunts hawks, and conducts the Chassagne brass band as well as dabbling in Mayoral duties - on top of being a father of three, Anaïs, Adrien and Eugène. They are all mad about the alps and disappear up the mountains at regular intervals.

Laurent's eldest son Adrien has been travelling the world making wine all over the place for the last few years having completed his training in Beaune. Bringing back lessons learnt in Australia, South Africa and California (and from a stint at Lea & Sandeman), During harvest Adrien is now the one in the winery while Laurent takes charge of the picking team. The wines have long been L&S favourites in both red and white - they represent excellent value, and they age very well too, despite being attractive young. The whites are precise and pure, and not lacking for body and generosity, while the reds are velvety and juicy, beautifully balanced even if drunk young on their expressive Pinot fruit. The domaine was rightfully heralded in Decanter Magazine as 'an address that deserves to be better-known'. Great value and real pleasure across their range.

Read more about Adrien here in this recent Forbes article here.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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