2019 Domaine Jean Pascal, Puligny-Montrachet
The domaine was hit hard by spring frosts, especially in Auxey-Duresses, resulting in a 60-80% reduction in the harvest. Quality has benefited, with intense, concentrated fruit producing rich wines which nevertheless have wonderful floral aromatic elegance.
Each year we sell out of the Bourgogne Chardonnay within a few months of it landing, so we suggest securing yours now, especially in this small vintage; ditto the Auxey-Duresses, the best 'proper' village white burgundy we know at such an affordable price.
The Puligny-Montrachet 'Les Enseignères' lieu dit has just the right level of additional tautness and elegance to make it worth purchasing over the village wine. As for the Folatières 1er Cru, perhaps the approachable character of 2019 has made it more apparent than ever what a stunning wine this is. The level of finesse and delicacy took us by surprise, brilliant value at £260 IB for six bottles and one of our top picks of all the white burgundies we have tasted so far in 2019.
These are superb, honest wines which take you right into the heart of one of the Côte d'Or's most prized wine villages, without any of the associated elevated prices. We recommend adding them to your cellar while they are available.
Offered en primeur, landing Autumn 2021.
Producer Profile
Domaine Jean Pascal, Puligny-Montrachet
The white burgundies from Domaine Jean Pascal in Puligny-Montrachet have become a benchmark for us of what white burgundy should offer, with their amazing fruit purity and a chiselled ("cisele"), focused character, even in the recent run of warmer vintages.
The domaine is just 500 metres from Puligny's village square, home to Domaine Leflaive and Hôtel Le Montrachet, but compared with these starry names it could not be more down to earth, a 'paysanne' domaine (in relative terms). Nevertheless, Pascal's Bourgogne Chardonnay and Puligny's are a staple of Le Montrachet's list...quite a recommendation.
The domaine was started by Joseph Pascal in the early 1900s when he arrived in the village and began working in the vineyards for Domaine Leflaive. Gradually, he acquired his own vines. In the 1950s, with low demand for fine white burgundy, the family also started a vine nursery ("pépinière") which now produces half a million vine rootstocks each year. Now run by Jean's grandson Yann and his wife Alexandra, the domaine's 15 hectares of vineyards are spread over four towns (Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Volnay and Auxey-Duresses).
Perhaps being so firmly rooted in viticulture gives the Pascals their skill at making wines with such brilliant fruit character. Many domaines produce wines with more layered complexity (at many times the price) but few surpass them when it comes to purity.
