Burgundy and all of its different appellations can be a little daunting at times. I mean within Burgundy itself, it has 100 different appellations or AOCs (Appellations d’Origine Controlee) that can be broken down into four levels which includes, Regional, Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. So when I had the opportunity to try the 2011 Jean Marc Pillot Chassagne Montrachet Les Vergers Premier Cru White Burgundy, I wanted to get to know more about the area that the wine comes from.
Of the 100 different AOCs that a wine from Burgundy can be classified from, there are 23 Regional appellations, which means that grapes can come from a large stretch of land within Burgundy, such as wine being called Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune. Then there are 44 Village appellations, which are localized even further to a smaller area, such as Chassagne-Montrachet. Within these Village appellations, a wine can also be classified as a Premier Cru, which are produced from single plots that are precisely defined within a Village appellation, like Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers. At the top of the classifications are Grand Cru wines that consist of 33 different appellations within Burgundy, like Montrachet. You can see how all of this can get to be a little confusing.
The wine I had the pleasure of trying was a Premier Cru within the Chassagne-Montrachet Village called Les Vergers, which was produced by Jean Marc Pillot who is a 4th generation winemaker who took over from his father in the early 90s. Right away within opening the bottle, the terroir comes through and has this great minerality about it. I let the wine sit for a little while, and it just kept opening up. The fruit shows up on the palate, but with this minerally, almost brininess to it, that makes it very elegant and not heavy at all which I get sometimes with wines from Chassagne-Montrachet. At $59.99, the 2011 Jean Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers is a steal, and one you will not be disappointed with it in your collection.
“(from 60-year-old vines): Pale, bright yellow. Subtle, pure nose offers pear and white flowers. Suave on entry, then juicy and sweet in the middle, with a minty lift contributing to the impression of inner-mouth perfume. Sappy, minerally, sharply delineated Chassagne with a positive iodiney character. This lively wine really coats the palate and lingers, without leavening any impression of undue weight.” -92 Stephen Tanzer