CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET

2019 1er Cru Vide Bourse Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

EN PRIMEUR

This is a very well-placed 1er Cru, just below Bâtard and on the same soil - small stones so it drains well. So rich and so balanced and fine - a floral nose with a big wine behind it. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030L&S (Oct 2020)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

(from a parcel that is immediately adjacent to Bâtard). Moderate reduction knocks down the underlying fruit that is clearly ripe. The highly seductive but very punchy larger-scaled flavors flash evident power on the almost painfully intense finish that is impressively persistent and well-balanced. Excellent. Drinking range: 2029 - Rating: 91-93 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Jun 2021)

The 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet Vide Bourse 1er Cru feels a little more straightforward and consequently less engaging than the Les Grandes Ruchottes. The palate is similarly nicely balanced with an underlying spiciness, yet is missing some complexity and tension, especially on the finish. Earlier drinking than Pillot’s other cuvées this year. Drinking range: 2022 - 2027 Rating: 88-90 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2021)

Still in barrel on the lees, the 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Vide Bourse opens in the glass with aromas of pear, waxy citrus rind, almond paste, white flowers and fresh bread. Medium to full-bodied, deep and textural, with terrific acidity and structuring dry extract, it's long and penetrating. This is very promising. Rating: 92-94 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Jan 2021)

Cask sample. Deep golden straw. Light nose with a suggestion of damp concrete(!). Edgy palate with real depth and a satin texture. Really quite long. Pretty classic white burgundy that splits the difference between richness and austerity. Citrus and hedgerow notes. Drinking range: 2023 - 2031 Rating: 16.5+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Jan 2021)

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.

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Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information.

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BURGUNDY EN PRIMEUR FAQ

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