Volnay

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.

A total of five parcels planted between 1960 and 1999. Two were classed 1er Cru, Ronceret and Brouillards; the two 1er Cru parcels have been declassified and assembled as one cuvée. The grapes are hand picked, transported to the winery, destemmed and put into tanks. 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 15 months in French oak barrels (33% new).

The fine Pinot Noir of Volnay is expressed here with delicate complexity. The terroir gives a round wine with red current and spice characters. A full-bodied wine, vigorous and elegant, able to be drunk relatively early or after a few years aging. Pairs well with roast beef, chicken and hard cheeses.