The Chassagne Montrachets of Paul Pillot from 2005 are great examples of this wonderful year: rich, fleshy, hedonistic white burgundies - each wine beautifully reflecting the vineyard in which it was grown. Here you'll find none of the popcorny sulphides, simple oak or random oxidation that dogs so many white burgundies today. Even the Bourgogne Blanc is clean, fresh and delicious! They have both the generosity to drink well young and the structure that will ensure longevity. And on top of this they are very well priced!
Stylistically Paul Pillot's 2005s Chassagnes have much more power and weight (when compared with this producer's excellent 2004s) yet have a similarly impressive balance between fruit and acid and subtle oak. Maturation on lees (even for the basic Bourgogne) contributes mouth-feel and texture, yet is carefully handled so that the lees characters are well in the background. All the 1er crus are vinified identically with more or less new oak influence, depending on the vintage and the fruit concentration of each cuvee. The 2005s are rich white Burgundies that should age very well.
What the critics are saying:
Robert Parker "...I counted three Pillot families in Chassagne-Montrachet. This 10 hectare Domaine run by Paul makes the best wines...he makes a very beautiful Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanée, a Chassagne-Montrachet Caillerets, and a Chassagne-Montrachet Les Grandes Ruchottes."
Allan Meadows, Burghound "I have long admired the white wines of this enigmatic producer who is...one serious and committed winemaker."
We bought this primarily for our restaurants who often find such wines handy to pour. It's an honest little wine, packed with tangy, spicy fruit. A perfect accompaniment to shellfish and a solid entry level white Burgundy.
Under Stelvin as per our request. Year in, year out this wine offers outstanding value, not just by Burgundian standards, but by whichever standard you wish to choose. In 2010, the term 'over... read more
This is always terrific for the price. Fruit is grown on north-east hillside plots with an average vine age of 20 years. The grapes are hand harvested, pressed, left to settle and fermented on lees... read more
Stelvin. This is simply outstanding white Burgundy for the price. The fruit is grown on a .6ha, north-east facing hillside vineyard in Remigny in the southern Côte de Beaune. The soil is a mix of... read more
Under Stelvin. This is simply outstanding white Burgundy for the price. The fruit is grown on a 0.6ha, northeast facing hillside vineyard in Remigny just south of Chassagne. The soil is a mix of... read more
This is always a terrific white Burgundy for the price. Fruit is grown on north-east hillside plots with an average vine age of 20 years in a vineyard called Remigny. The grapes are hand harvested,... read more
This is 1er Cru quality in all but name and another outstanding value red Burgundy. It's from a parcel of 35+ year old Pinot Noir vines grown on the clay rich soils that once had Chassagne more... read more
This is a lieu-dit (place-name/single vineyard) of 0.63 hectares with a southeast aspect. This site produces remarkably classy and textural white Burgundy for village level and so we import it each... read more
This is a lieu-dit (place-name) of 0.63 hectares cultivated on vineyards with a south-east aspect. Fermented totally in barrel and matured over 12 months in 20% new wood. This site produces... read more
Thierry Pillot gets access to some other vineyards through his relatives and now produces some tiny quantities of Puligny under his own label. This comes from a terrific terroir that borders... read more