Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot
Chassagne-Montrachet
Meet the producer
Jean-Marc joined his father Jean in 1985, and together they worked on the family estate. After six years of working alongside him, he took the reins in 1991 with his wife Nadine and his sister Béatrice, thus becoming the fifth generation. In 2019, Antonin, Jean-Marc's son, joined him to continue the family tradition and further develop their vineyard.
At the helm of a 12-hectare estate, Jean-Marc's priority is to respect the terroir he has inherited. He has made several changes to the estate, the most significant being the construction of a new winery. Equally important, he has expanded the vineyard and made subtle modifications to the winemaking and aging processes, thereby leaving his own mark on this estate, which now spans around fifteen hectares and produces approximately 60,000 bottles per year.
The estate is primarily focused on the production of white wines, but significant cuvées of red wines are also produced. The vineyard is located in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet, with additional plots in Puligny-Montrachet, Santenay, Meursault, and Remigny (to the south). This diversity of terroir allows the Pillot family to produce a range of wines that highlight the complexity of the terroir in this southern part of the Côte de Beaune.
The Estate’s philosophy
The vines in most of the plots are between 25 and 50 years old; in some cases, they are considerably older, reaching up to 100 years in Clos Saint-Jean and Clos Saint-Marc (cru des Vergers). Traditional viticultural practices are applied in the vineyards.
The Cordon de Royat and Guyot Simple pruning and training systems are used. Spring and summer are conducive to intensive vineyard work to manage pruning and harvest quality, including bud thinning, leaf removal, and, if necessary, green harvesting.
The vines are ploughed, no herbicides are used, and the planting density is high (10,000 vines per hectare in village wines; 12,000 vines per hectare in 1er Cru).
The soils are worked through ploughing throughout the year, with organic matter amendments tailored to the needs of the vines. March pruning, shoot thinning, training, leaf removal, green harvesting, and manual picking all contribute to obtaining high-quality grapes essential for producing great wines.
The harvest is done by hand. Almost all white wines are fermented and aged in barrels, with new oak barrels comprising 10 to 30% for 15 months, followed by 6 months in stainless steel tanks. This additional ageing prevents cold stabilisation.
The Pinot Noir grapes are fully destemmed; the grapes undergo a brief cold maceration (up to five days), followed by alcoholic fermentation lasting 10 to 12 days, with daily pump-overs and punch-downs. The red wines are racked into barrels where malolactic fermentation occurs; the wines are left in contact with the fine lees for 15 months; then, the wines are racked into stainless steel tanks for an additional six months of ageing before being bottled without filtration.
Key information
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Chassagne-Montrachet
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Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
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Around 12 hectares
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Sustainable practices