A Visit to Pithon-Paillé, 2010: The Domaine Tomorrow
As was the case at its inception, Pithon-Paillé remains part-domaine, part-négociant, the portfolio of wines originating not only from their own vines on the Coteau des Treilles and at Château de Fresnaye, but also from purchased fruit, adding a Savennières (which also includes a small volume from their own tiny plot of vines) and an entry-level Anjou to their list of wines for sale, as well as examples of Bourgueil and Chinon, the latter wines vinified in the cellars at Château de Coulaine in order to maintain the appellation.
But what of new developments here? I was particularly interested in any news of vineyard acquisitions, because I couldn’t imagine that the team at Pithon-Paillé would be content with such a discrete portfolio of vines under their direct control for long. And indeed there have been developments in this respect. First up is a very small parcel of vines accounting for just 0.22 hectares of Quarts de Chaume, which they have been renting since 2008. Dissatisfied with the quality in that vintage the botrytis-free 2008 fruit was declassified into the négoce Anjou, but things are looking (and tasting – see notes below) much better with the 2009 vintage.
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