Domaine Pillot - Clos des Montaigus 2005 Tasting Notes

Mercurey rouge Premier Cru Clos des Montaigus 2002

This year our exclusive Premier Cru Clos des Montaigus is from the outstanding 2002 vintage that was successful throughout Burgundy - but especially so here in the Côte Chalonnaise.  Quality was good but yields were down and consequently the wines are in short supply.  A long, hard winter eventually gave way to a warm spring and a cool, dry summer.  A small amount of rain fell in September before clear skies returned for the harvest.  The resulting crop had high levels of natural alcohol and very good concentrations of natural sugar: perfect for what is now regarded as a classic Burgundy vintage.

We have known Laurent and Jean-Michel Pillot for almost 10 years and throughout that time they have consistently exceeded our expectations for the quality of their wine.  Indeed, over the past 8 years they have won more awards at the International Wine Challenge in London than any other winemakers from the Côte Chalonnaise.  (Our Clos des Montaigus 2001 gained a Seal of Approval last May, despite being still too young.)  This, coupled with the excellent value for money obtainable in this part of Burgundy was what prompted us to encourage them to seek out a special site from which to produce a unique wine.  

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 the grapes produced in the Clos des Montaigus would benefit.  At the moment the flavour is still dominated by ripe black fruit allied to a touch of spice but over the next five years it will give the wine structure and add to the complexity of the resulting flavour.