Domaine Pillot - Clos des Montaigus 2006 Tasting Notes

Mercurey rouge Premier Cru Clos des Montaigus 2003

This year our exclusive premier cru Clos des Montaigus is from the remarkable 2003 vintage.  This was the year of the heatwave, which produced interesting and atypical wines.  Spring frost and hail reduced yields, and the small crop was further concentrated by the drought conditions that prevailed throughout the summer.  Searing heat ensured that the grapes reached a level of ripeness rarely seen in Burgundy and our winemakers, Laurent and Jean-Michel Pillot, rose to the challenge of this difficult year and produced a Clos des Montaigus with more power than normal, packed with delicious dark-fruit flavours.  

The Pinot Noir grapes are hand-picked and destalked before fermentation and then the wine is aged in oak (40% new barrels) for 18 months, followed by a year in bottle before release.  This longer ageing was something we insisted on right from the beginning, as we thought this would benefit the grapes produced in the Clos des Montaigus.  The hot summer of 2003 has resulted in a wine that is uncharacteristically fruity, and ready for early drinking, with dark, cherry-fruit flavours that are balanced by soft, ripe tannins.  This implies that it will not be a wine for long term cellaring but it is beautiful now and will continue to improve over the next three or four years.  It works extremely well with simple roast meats, such as lamb or pork, and will be excellent with barbecues.