2015 Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint-Jean Rouge

Paul Pillot is a a third generation winemaker in Chassagne-Montrachet, in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. The 30-acre domaine has Premier Cru vineyards primarily in Chassagne-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin and Santenay. Of special note are the Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachets La Romanee, Grandes Ruchottes, Les Caillerets, La Grande Montagne, Les Champs Gains and Clos Saint-Jean. Decanter has complimented many of the domaine’s wines, calling them “mouthwatering (with) impeccable balance.”

Chassagne-Montrachet is the appellation that covers the communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Remigny, and it is the southern-most of the Côte d’Or’s three great white wine appellations of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. With 1,200 acres of vineyards, it is one of the largest appellations in the region, and more than half the vineyard acreage is Grand Cru or Premier Cru. The three famous Grand Crus are Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. There are also 16 main Premiers Crus, most of them considered very high quality, and village wines. One fact rarely noted is that historically the appellation produced more red than white wine. In the late 1990s the ratio of white to red wines changed, however, as more vineyards were converted from Pinot Noir to Chardonnay, a logical decision given the acclaim of the appellation’s whites. There are still intriguing red wines produced. Clive Coates wrote that the appellation’s white wines generally are “full and firm, more akin to Puligny than to the softer, rounder wines of Meursault.”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.