Pithon-Paillé: Wines
The fruit was largely picked by hand and then transported the short distance to the cellars in St-Lambert-du-Lattay. The Pithon-Paillé family typically picked in tries on many of the Anjou vineyards, the first tri ripe but clean fruit destined for Anjou Blanc, either a site-specific cuvée or for inclusion in the entry-level (and largely négoce) Anjou Blanc, Mozaïk. Then later there would be a second tri , the success of which obviously depended on whether or not the rain held off. The fruit would hopefully be passerillé or botrytised, and this is typically used for a Coteaux du Layon, which again could be site-specific or blended. The Quarts de Chaume harvest was managed differently though; although here there was also an Anjou Blanc produced, one parcel was dedicated to this wine, while the other was left to concentrate on the vine for Quarts de Chaume.
The yields tended towards lower figures, partly the result of organic and biodynamic viticulture of course, with figures between 20 and 30 hl/ha being the norm. At the cellars, after pressing, the wines were allowed to settle, and then vinified, the exact details of which obviously varied depending on the cuvée in question. One generality that could be made here, though, was in the use of oak. The old Jo Pithon style was certainly influenced by oak, and the wines often had a rather robust character perhaps reflecting oxidative practices in the cellars. As for the wines of Pithon-Paillé, however, oak gradually became less of a feature here. After 2012 they moved away from smaller 225-litre oak barriques to using larger vessels, both 350-litre and 600-litre barrels, instead. This applied specifically to the Coteau des Treilles cuvée. In general, the wines mostly saw older oak, although a little new oak was used, typically on the sweeter wines, or perhaps on the Coteau des Treilles. They tended not to rack, and not to carry out bâtonnage.
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