Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers

The Pillots have cultivated vines in the Côte de Beaune village of Chassagne-Montrachet since 1625. A new and exciting chapter began when, in the 1990s, father-son team Fernand and Laurent Pillot extended their family’s vineyard holdings to also include a few incredible plots in neighboring Pommard and Volnay.Today, the Pillots cultivate 15 hilly hectares, covering 50 parcels (including 12 Premiers Crus). Since Fernand’s retirement, Laurent and his son Adrien are continuing the family’s legacy with a tireless focus on maintaining the utmost quality. Everything is harvested and sorted by hand and yields are kept painfully low. Every plot is worked under strict “agrobiologie” principles, and the estate has been proudly HVE-3 certified since 2021 - no easy feat. The family have also been members of the environmental research group DEPHY-EcoPhyto since 2012.

The vines grow on 2.15 acres of very stony limestone soils mixed with shallow red earth. The vineyards are located at 787 feet above sea level. Les Vergers faces due east near the top of the slope north of the village.

Grapes are hand-harvested and carried to the winery where they undergo alcoholic fermentation in oak barrels (40% new) for a period of two months. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 11–12 months.

This wine is very precise with minerality, citrus and white flower aromas. With some ageing, the wine develops more complexity and rounder flavors reminiscent of flowers, stones and mushrooms.