Philippe has two barrels of 2012 Ruchotte-Chambertin Grand Cru that is about to transfer into a demi-muid. It has a bright bouquet with vivacious, inky dark cherry fruit stylistically similar to Rousseau’s Clos des Ruchottes. The palate has very good density with layers of mineral-rich dark berry fruit, fine symmetry and a tight grip on the finish. It will require four to five years in bottle. This is a classy Ruchotte-Chambertin.
This was my first visit to Domaine Philippe Pacalet, whose winery is located not far from the Beaune train station, purchased from the de Montille family in 2007. His Brazilian-born wife Monique was there to greet me, then Philippe himself, busy with the 2013s that had recently been harvested. His face somehow reminded me of Roman Polanski, albeit with wilder hair; a garrulous, opinionated and passionate man that I suspect does not take fools kindly. It is a rudimentary facility, functionality over aesthetics. Philippe has a feisty personality, not afraid to air his occasionally controversial, but always considered views. As the nephew of renowned Beaujolais producer Marcel Lapierre, Philippe has been grouped in the brigade of natural winemakers, but that would be too simplistic. Discussing his approach, there is a pragmatism afoot here, and there seemed to be a realization that the machinations of the cosmos is irrelevant if, for example he espoused, the monoculture of Burgundy is creating excessive degeneration of Pinot Noir. Then there is the fact that despite his family having been involved in winemaking since the 18th century, Philippe does not actually own any of his vines, but instead manages quite a large portfolio through long-term fermage agreements. Philippe expressed a sense of confidence about his 2012s. “I think we did a better job in 2012 than 2005 because of the polyphenols,” he said. “We commenced the harvest on the 26th of September. We had good acidity levels, coming in at a pH of around 3.15.” Philippe uses whole clusters because he finds that the stems offer a natural fining process. He also rolls his casks in order to mix the lees. He believes that it protects the wines and “dresses” them again in the tannins. I asked Philippe his attitude toward sulfur. “I am not against sulfites. But I try to keep to minimum though, because there are lots of reaction proteins and the sulfites can interfere with them. I don’t like too clearer wine. When you have a little turbidity, you have a ‘reduction power’ that can be preventive against oxidation.”
Importer: Return to Terroir 95 McCoppin Street #E202, San Francisco, CA 94103 tel; 415 932 6443 (see: www.returntoterroir.com) and also Wine Source (UK).
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