Domaine Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jean Rouge 2023

Clos Saint-Jean is a benchmark terroir for the reds of Chassagne (in fact, it produces outstanding quality in both colours). For those who have visited, Clos Saint-Jean is the walled vineyard right next door to the Estate buildings. The Pillot parcel sits in the heart of the original Clos. This part of the vineyard is only 2.2 hectares and was traditionally called Chassagne du Clos Saint-Jean. At just over one hectare, the Pillot holdings are the largest, and are split equally between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A stone’s throw from the Pillot cellar, these vines are cultivated with a lot of love (i.e., manual labour), including tressage (manually arching the shoots instead of hedging). This wine fermented with mostly whole bunches and was worked only by feet for about 10 days. The result is a super classy, incredibly perfumed and seductive red Burgundy of the kind that we could not have imagined from Chassagne even a decade ago!