Pernand Vergelesses 1er cru Sous Frétille 2022 Domaine Pavelot

The Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Frétille 2022 from Domaine Pavelot is the domaine's most precious and ambitious white cuvée, and one of the most compelling expressions of this understated Premier Cru on the Côte de Beaune. A Premier Cru of remarkable aromatic delicacy built around white flowers and citrus with subtle minty nuances. The palate is broad and long, combining silky texture perfectly with the fruit's freshness and the terroir's minerality.

The terroir of Sous Frétille

Reclassified as Premier Cru in 2000 for Chardonnay only, this lieu-dit merits its status for its exceptional south and south-westerly exposure, sitting behind and above the village. The soils are poor and marked by small stones, composed of clay deposits over a base of marl and limestone. This favourable exposure ensures distinctly mineral, powerful and generous Chardonnay with fantastic cellaring potential. This Premier Cru sits around 350 metres altitude, where yellow and brownish marl soils are devoted to Chardonnay. Frétille is the name of the woodland that overlooks it. The Pavelots work a fine 95 are parcel here. Harvesting is done by hand, grapes carried in traditional wicker baskets. Whole bunches are lightly crushed before pneumatic pressing. Natural settling in stainless steel vats for 12 to 24 hours, then transfer to oak for indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged 12 months in French oak, 40 percent new barrels and the remainder in barrels that have held one to five vintages.

Tasting profile

The nose offers elegant perfumes of orange, honeysuckle and linden. On the palate it is broad, fresh and supple, pulled taut by a lively finish. Remarkable aromatic delicacy centred on white flowers and citrus with subtle minty notes. The palate is broad and long, combining silky texture with the fruit's freshness and the terroir's minerality. The cuvée exhales fruity aromas of stone fruits and exotic notes. On the palate, the wine shows considerable elegance and freshness. In the generous and well-balanced 2022 vintage, fruity richness allies with the natural chalky minerality of the terroir for an ensemble of remarkable amplitude and tension, built to age gracefully for eight to twelve years.

The domaine

Domaine Pavelot is a family wine estate in Burgundy at Pernand-Vergelesses, in the family's hands for generations. Luc and Lise are the seventh generation to lead the domaine. Their vineyard extends over 10 hectares of vines worked in organic and biodynamic viticulture. A truly interesting domaine whose wines are particularly charming while remaining reasonably priced.

Food pairing

Coq au vin, veal blanquette and salmon terrine are classic pairings. Gravlax salmon pairs beautifully. It will also match well with scallops in chive cream, grilled lobster with tarragon butter, wild turbot in beurre blanc, sole meunière or Bresse chicken in champagne sauce. Serve between 12 and 14°C, with 20 minutes of decanting recommended in its youth, to reveal the minty minerality, chalky tension and fruity generosity of one of the Côte de Beaune's most precious and overlooked Premier Cru whites.