Santenay Les Prarons Dessus

Since the 19th Century, generations of the Pillot family have cultivated the hills of Chassagne-Montrachet on over 35 acres of land spread across 22 different appellations. The vineyards are mainly concentrated on Chassagne-Montrachet and Pommard terroirs, but also on the soils of Santeany, Saint-Aubin, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Volnay, and Beaune. The father-and-son team of Fernand and Laurent focuses tirelessly on maintaining quality with their practices: low yields, minimal use of fertilizer and strict hygiene. All of their wines are vinified and matured in a modern winery but Laurent pays special attention to keep with traditional Burgundy practices: barrel fermentation for the whites, minimal stirring of the lees, and aging the wines in French oak barrels from a variety of forests and coopers. The vineyards are worked “agrobiologie” with care taken to see that soils are cultivated without the use of chemical weed-killers. The family is also a member of the research group DEPHY-EcoPhyto since 2012, which aims to decrease the amount of pesticides used and to better agricultural techniques for an environmentally sound ecosystem.

This parcel is planted on very stony, red clay-limestone soil. There is a number of “Murger”, large piles of rocks that were extracted from the vines manually by the family’s forefathers

This parcel is planted on very stony, red clay-limestone soil. There is a number of “Murger”, large piles of rocks that were extracted from the vines manually by the family’s forefathers. Also visible, a magnificent fully restored windmill. The grapes are hand-picked, transported to the winery, destemmed and put into tank. After a few days of cold maceration, the alcoholic fermentation is traditionally started with regular cap punching, thus enabling very small temperature regulations of the fermenting grapes. The wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (20% new). The wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (20% new).

A red wine purple in color, expressing spring violets and red fruit aromas. An intense mouthfeel with firm tannins. After aging this wine for a few years, it pairs well with Boeuf Bourguignon or cheese.