Domaine Pavelot

Pernand-Vergelesses

When searching for good value Burgundy that can still be had for well under $50, the lovely village of Pernand-Vergelesses is one of the best places to look provided one selects from one of the better growers in the area.  With some calls for Ile des Vergelesses to be elevated from 1er cru to grand cru status, wines coming from this great vineyard made by growers striving for excellence may provide one of the better values in Burgundy today.

 

 Domaine Pavelot has a history that dates back to the 17th century.  In modern times this domaine has often been overshadowed by the more famous Pavelot in neighboring Savigny-Les-Beaune.   Working with various plots around the village amounting to just under nine hectares, the brother and sister team of Luc and Lise Pavelot are relentlessly in pursuit of pushing quality to the highest possible levels.  Both Lise and Luc attended the school in Beaune and then went on to train at prestigious wineries outside of Burgundy.  Luc worked at Navarro in Anderson Valley and Lise at Domaine Dageuneau in the Loire.  The experience they gained outside of Burgundy, the conversion to organic viticulture beginning in 1992, and overall dedication to quality have clearly brought this domaine to a new level of "serious quality-consciousness" that David Schildknecht noted several years ago.  Today wines from Domaine Pavelot are some of the most pure and site-driven coming out of the area.

Strict organic farming.  All fruit is harvested by hand.

For the red wines, Pavelot practices the traditional approach of whole cluster fermentation.  The 1er crus may use up to 25-30% whole cluster depending on the vintage.  The Village wine uses a smaller amount.  A cold maceration of 4-5 days is practiced. Fruit is crushed by foot and fermented in cement for 14-18 days.  Wine is transferred by gravity into barrels of varying age with the breakdown approximately 10-20% new depending on vintage and vineyard, 30% second and third pass with the remainder neutral wood.

The whites are destemmed and pressed immediately after harvest and allowed to settle out in stainless tanks for a day and then tranferred into barrel to undergo fermentation.