Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot

Laurent Pillot, who took over the running of this domaine in his mid-20s, transformed his family’s estate from one to devoted to grape-growing into one of the more distinguished winemaking estates in the Côte de Beaune, though he has since transferred the winemaking responsibilities to his son, Adrien.

Consisting of a superb collection of vineyards and a modern winemaking facility on the edge of St Aubin, both the domaine’s reds and whites are of an excellent quality – notably the white Chassagne-Montrachet and the rounded, sultry Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Rouge, both of which clearly express a beautiful underlying minerality.

Viticulture

The soil is very stony, mixed with shallow red earth. Sometimes the limestone base rock breaks into the soil profile. This results in a very hot micro climate in summer near the grape bunches, due to the reflected sunlight from the white stones. The soil also contains iron ore. They became High Environmental Value (HVE) level 3 certified at the beginning of 2021, recognition for all of the work they have done over the years working "agrobiologie" and cultivating the soils without using chemical weed killers.

Winemaking

The grapes are hand-picked. Pressed, the juice is then fermented in tank or oak barrel depending on the climat. The reds undergo punching down of the cap. The wine is then kept in tank or barrel on its lees to age and develop it's personality.

Highlights

Côte de Beaune estate run by Laurent Pillot, now overseen by son Adrien, producing distinguished whites and reds with minerality.
Stony, shallow soils with iron and limestone, creating hot microclimates that enhance ripeness and complexity.
HVE Level 3 certified, hand-harvested grapes, tank or oak fermentation, and lees ageing for fully expressive wines.