Philippe Pacalet – Wines of Elegance and Authenticity
Philippe Pacalet, former student of Jules Chauvet and nephew of the legendary Marcel Lapierre, produces some of the most elegant and authentic expressions of Burgundian wine today.
Philippe Pacalet was born into a family of winemakers whose tradition in the craft dates back to 1780. Yet despite his family’s rich history in winemaking, he did not inherit any land. With sky-high land prices in Burgundy, Philippe was forced to identify an alternative path to begin producing his own wines when he started out nearly two decades ago. Instead of purchasing land, he opted to become a ‘micro-négociant’ renting select vineyards around the Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits. Today, he remains a vintner without vineyards of his own but his business is thriving. Philippe currently produces over two dozen highly sought after wines from not only Burgundy but also Beaujolais and the Northern Rhône.
Despite the scale of his production, Philippe only works with carefully selected grapes from vineyards that meet his specifics requirements and vinifies them at his own 19th century winemaking facility in the heart of Beaune. He is adamant about removing anything from the vinification process that obscures the pure expression of terroir, shunning industrial yeasts and using minimal quantities of sulphur, at bottling only. He never destems his grapes, seeing the stems as an integral part of the winemaking process, and believing that if the stems are not ripe enough, then the grapes are not either.
From pruning to bottling, Philippe personally oversees every step of the production of his wines but intervenes as little as possible. His philosophy is that nature shall govern the production and not technology. The end result are wines that are you unique to each plot of land and the given year. Wines that are fresh, pure, elegant and incredibly aromatic.
Wine Recommendations
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2017
The fruit for this Gevrey villages was sourced from six different vineyards from vines with an average age of 50 years old. Fresh aromas of black cherry, strawberry and rose give way to an elegant, medium-bodied wine with firm tannins and flavors that match the nose that are underpinned by hints of minerality. Delicious now but has all the elements to evolve beautifully with some bottle aging.
Alcohol Content: 13%
CORNAS 2017
The fruit for this Northern Rhône offering from Philippe was sourced from an acre of 25-year-old bush vines of Petite Serine in the granite hills of the Massif Central. A beautiful purple color, this wine has powerful fruit and floral aromatics on the nose. On the palate theres tons of dark fruit, violets, meat, leather and a touch of spice. Beautiful acidity and a finish that keeps on giving. A gorgeous wine full of character.
Alcohol Content: 13%