Jonathan Pabiot, 2019 Update
It is now six years since I first tasted the wines of Jonathan Pabiot, an encounter which prompted a lot of urgent note scribbling, followed just a few weeks later by the writing of a suitably detailed profile. I sensed here we had an exciting new addition to the scene in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation, as his wines were of a quality which suggested that he could soon be challenging the very top tier of the appellation. Ever since then I have endeavoured to meet up with Jonathan every year, to taste the latest releases from the domaine. And a year or two ago I called in on Jonathan at his domaine, and together we made a full tour of the vines, a visit which I wrote up here.
Some people (naming no names) were quick to draw comparisons between Jonathan (pictured above) and the Pouilly-Fumé appellation’s late great rebel, Didier Dagueneau, a little too quickly I think. Having said that, I have certainly not shied away from commenting on how the quality to be found in Jonathan Pabiot’s wines does bear comparison with the sort of experience one might have when pulling the cork on a wine wearing a Dagueneau label. There are differences between the styles, and fundamental ones at that, most notably the fact that a number of Jonathan’s wines are marked by malolactic fermentation, usually on just a proportion of the blend rather than the entire cuvée, but this is not a feature that anyone would expect to find when tasting at the Dagueneau cellars. The wines do many some features in common though, most plainly the fact that both portfolios are simply excellent.
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