93 pts Jasper Morris
**** (out of 5)
Mid lemon yellow. The nose has a juicy character, even sucrosity, with excellent energy, a little of the yellow plum, this is more bombastic though with the requisite acidity. Plenty of flesh, a little more warmth, a contrast in style to Macherelles. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted: October 2023.
This cuvée is from the northernmost holdings of the domaine in Chassagne as it fronts onto the border with Saint-Aubin and Puligny. It is here that Pillot reveals the more elegant side of Chassagne. A small holding (0.29 hectares, vines planted in 1950) that yields a wine that is generous and silky with more citrus notes than the cuvées from the southern edge of Chassagne. A barrel, or 300 bottles, is allocated for our use in the USA.
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.
