Domaine Paul Pillot

Chassagne-Montrachet is arguably the most dynamic village in the Côte d’Or. It is home to several very fine domaines, of which Domaine Paul Pillot is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling. Thierry Pillot has been in charge for 20 years now, having joined his father, Paul, at the turn of the century before assuming complete control in 2004. Paul had had a good spell at the crease, mind, having been there as a very young man since 1968. He was merely 21 years old when his father handed over the pipette, and it was under his care that the domaine expanded in both size and reputation, building on the progress that his father, Henri, and grandfather, Jean-Baptiste, had made since the domaine was established by the latter in 1900.

Today, Thierry farms 13 hectares of his own vines, of which about two thirds are white. He also runs a small eponymous negociant business on the side, which fashions wines very much in the trademark of Pillot’s crystalline style. These account for a further 1.5 hectares, the parcels he accesses being numerous but ‘petites’. In recent years, the wines have become ever more rapier like, with stone-licking dryness and tension that is raspingly delightful and dangerously moreish.

New oak has been paired back to the bare minimum, and, depending on the vintage, takes the odd year off where certain cuvées are concerned. Their resulting unadulterated purity gives them nowhere to hide, but they don’t need refuge. In fact, it is this purity that is so intoxicating, like a model in a photo shoot who eschews make-up and relies purely on their enviable natural beauty to astound. It is the quality of fruit that Thierry brings in, thanks to his fantastic vineyard work over many years, that allows his wines to express such intensity, complexity and length, ensuring that the domaine remains at the top of the tree.