Aromas of white flowers, pear, crisp green apple, beeswax and fresh bread preface Pillot's 2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jean, a medium-bodied, tangy and incisive wine with a ripe core of fruit and a lively spine of acidity. This nicely balanced wine is once again likely to number among the domaine's more immediate premiers crus.
Like many of his neighbors on the Côte de Beaune, Thierry Pillot—who has directed this Chassagne-Montrachet domaine since 2004—reported low yields in 2019, noting that they were fully 50% below average. He began picking early, he told me, but after a press load or two, he decided he'd begun prematurely and paused, waiting for more complete physiological maturity. Given the inherent richness of the vintage, he opted to use no new oak. But since percentages of new wood are invariably modest, with plenty of larger-format 350-liter barrels, and the lees are never stirred, this does not represent much of a departure from the house style. Revisiting some of the estate's 2018s, I was delighted to find that they had fulfilled all the promise they showed in barrel. The 2019s, more concentrated and structured, are even more impressive. As I've written before, Pillot is one of a handful of exciting producers who win Chassagne-Montrachet the title of the Côte de Beaune's most dynamic white wine-producing village today, and I warmly recommend readers acquaint themselves with his wines.
William Kelley