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Burgundy 2023 En Primeur: Domaine Joseph Pascal

We are delighted to offer the 2023 vintage from Domaine Joseph Pascal for sale en primeur this morning, another tremendous effort, with the wines as good or even better than their excellent '22s.  There's only one problem with the wines from this domaine...they rarely hang around in cellars long enough to reach their peak!  We recommend securing yours now, so you can give them a year or two of bottle age, to enjoy them at their brilliant best.

When we visited Pascal` on a misty morning last November, we had a few minutes to linger in Puligny's village square, just a few minutes walk from the domaine.  Flanked by legendary names like Domaine Leflaive and the Michelin-starred hotel-restaurant 'Le Montrachet', the square is also home to the little Mairie, where Alexandra Pascal is the mayor of the village's population of 363!  Just one example of how much she and her family are at the heart of life here, and of the crazily good value their wines offer, relative to their peers.

Last year, we reported that Alexandra and her husband Yann had managed to buy out various family members to take full ownership of the domaine (the ownership of most small estates in the Côte d'Or is divided among numerous family shareholders, due to the Napoleonic succession laws).  Alexandra's son Joseph is studying oenology in New Zealand before returning to the family business, hence the change of domaine name from Jean to Joseph Pascal. 

Tasting the 2023s with Alexandra, she told us that for her, they have lots in common with the '22s, though a little more battonage (stirring of the lees) was used in '23.  As at most other white wine domaines, picking the white grapes earlier than usual to retain freshness reduced concentration a little, which is added back by battonage.  This was also the first year that the wines have been bottled unfiltered, making them even more explosive and intense in flavour than usual.

As we were leaving Puligny we also took a few minutes to find the Enseigneres vineyard, reminding us of its amazing location, adjacent to Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet!  At over 9 hectares, the Enseigneres lieu-dit is quite large, but having spent some time hunting about and asking directions from some vineyard workers, we managed to locate some of Pascal's plots, not far from the famous grand cru!

Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to order.

Offered en primeur, landing Autumn 2025.

 

Domaine Jean Pascal, Puligny-Montrachet

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.

WHITE 2023 Joseph Pascal (formerly Jean Pascal at Fils) - Auxey Duresses Blanc 75cl £280 per case of 12 Joseph Pascal (formerly Jean Pascal at Fils)
Auxey Duresses Blanc
2023 / / 75cl
£280 per case of 12
IB
Tasting Notes"Fragrant with a touch of hedgerow blossom, plus cedary citrus. Powerful citrus fruit with impressive depth and length. More power than elegance but really good concentration for a big vintage. Creamy, rich, mouth-filling. VGV. Drink 2026 – 2030. 17 points" jancisrobinson.com (JH)
WHITE 2023 Joseph Pascal (formerly Jean Pascal at Fils) - Puligny Montrachet Les Enseignieres 75cl £265 per case of 6 Joseph Pascal (formerly Jean Pascal at Fils)
Puligny Montrachet Les Enseignieres
2023 / / 75cl
£265 per case of 6
IB
Tasting Notes"A touch spicier compared with the village Puligny. Delicate layers of fruit with mealy lees and spice. Vibrant, tight, salty and long. Direct, pure with a marked grip on the finish, adding to the length. Fairly GV in a burgundy context. Drink 2028 – 2038. 17 points" jancisrobinson.com (JH)
WHITE 2023 Joseph Pascal (formerly Jean Pascal at Fils) - Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er cru 75cl £380 per case of 6 Joseph Pascal (formerly Jean Pascal at Fils)
Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières 1er cru
2023 / / 75cl
£380 per case of 6
IB
Tasting Notes"Deeper and a touch riper than the Chalumaux, an impression of pears. Oatmeal creaminess, too. Super-fresh, bright and full of energy. Lots of freshness and tension on the finish. Deep and long and finely balanced. Good concentration in a big vintage. Drink 2026 – 2032. 17 points" jancisrobinson.com (JH)

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