Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne Montrachet Rouge Mes Vieilles Vignes
About the wine:
Pillot exploits over a hectare of vineyards planted in 1960 to Pinot Noir at the village level. This is a robust, cherry-flavored wine of strength and vigor. A simple, satisfying red from a village that should be more recognized for the high quality of its red wines, this being a prime example.
• Appellation: AOC Chassagne-Montrachet
• Encépagement: Pinot Noir (100%)
In The Vineyard:
• Parcel Names, Slopes, and Locations: From 1 ha of vines from various parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet
• Soil Types and Compositions: Limestone-clay
• Vine Age, Training, and Density: Trained in Guyot and planted in 1960 at 10,000 vines/ha.
• Average Yields: 40 hl/ha
• Average Harvest Date and Type: Manual, mid September
In The Cellar:
• Fermentation: Spontaneous, in stainless-steel tanks after partial destemming (0-100%, depending on the vintage) and a 4-5 day cold soak.
• Pressing: Pneumatic, whole-cluster direct pressing
• Time on Lees: 12 months
• Malolactic Fermentation: Spontaneous in barrel in the spring
• Élevage: 12 months in neutral 228-l barrels, followed by 3-6 months in stainless-steel tanks
• Press Wine: Blended after pressing
• Fining and Filtration: Bentonite/casein fining, unfiltered
• Sulfur: Applied after malolactic and at bottling; 80-90 mg/l total sulfur; c. 25 mg/l free sulfur
In The Glass:
This is a robust, cherry-flavored wine of strength and vigor. A simple, satisfying red from a village that should be more recog- nized for the high quality of its red wines, this being a prime ex- ample.
About the producer:
Jean-Marc Pillot is the fourth generation of his branch of the Pillot family to tend vineyards in Chassagne Montrachet. He joined his father, Jean, in 1985 to learn the craft of “vigneron”. After six years of working side-by-side, Jean-Marc assumed the direction of the domaine in 1991 with the assistance of his wife, Nadine, and his sister, Beatrice. Of course, his father, Jean, remains by his side rendering advice and valuable assistance in the vineyards (often while he is tending the garden in back of the chai!). Jean-Marc has instituted several changes at the estate, the most prominent of which is the construction of a new cave. Of equal importance, Jean-Marc expanded the amount of vineyards under cultivation and has made subtle modifications in vinification and elevage to place his own “mark” on this estate which now covers approximately fifteen hectares with an annual production of, more or less, 60,000 bottles.