The former Florilège with a new name, Léon is Jonathan Didier Pabiot’s calling card, an assemblage of fruit from mature vines rooted in the estate’s three key soil types: caillottes, terres blanches and silex. The lieux-dits are Les Champs de Cris, Les Asserts, Villiers and Les Champs Piot. All are densely planted at 10,000 vines per hectare. To make a wine of this depth and character, Pabiot crops his vines at 30 hl/ha.
The winemaking here is intricate. Pabiot fermented and raised 80% of the crop in concrete cuve and stainless steel, and blended in 20% barrel-fermented juice for complexity. This cuvée spent 12 to 18 months on lees to build texture and retain brightness, which is aided by it’s refreshing 13% alcohol.