Domaine Thierry Violot-Guillemard
Now "Domaine Joannès Violot-Guillemard"
Pommard, Cote-de-Beaune, Bourgogne
“An outstanding line-up of wines at the upper level.”, Allen Meadows, Burghound.
The 2019 vintage of Domaine Thierry Violot-Guillemard is the finest I have ever tasted at this address." William Kelley, Wine Advocate.
Domaine THIERRY VIOLOT-GUILLEMARD is an excellent source of fine and textural Pommard with great holdings, also, in Beaune's famous 'Clos des Mouches' (both red and whites are made here) and Meursault. A family-run estate with a new generation now taking over - in the form of Thierry's son Joannès - the wines are distinctive, traditionally made but never heavy in style and age very well. Peter still describes their 1948 Pommard Les Epenots, which he enjoyed at the domaine a few years ago, as "one of the best wines I've ever tasted."
2019 is Joannès's first full vintage in charge - as Thierry retires from the day-to-day workings of the domaine. You can be sure he still offers a hand here and there - but all reports suggest that the style stays the same with perhaps a little more whole bunch usage. There may also be a new label for the 2019s sporting Joannès Violot-Guillemard's name - something we shall be keeping an eye out for.
The younger Violot did the vinification for the 2019 wines though he was stuck in a traffic jam at the time of my visit and thus Thierry filled in, noting that "we picked from the 10th of September and brought in super clean fruit, though unfortunately not much of it. Yields for the pinot were no more than 30 hl/ha and the chardonnay really got hammered and barely gave us 20 hl/ha. We used between 40 and 100% whole clusters and had no problem with the vinifications. I'm really happy with the quality and even happier for Joannès that he had such an excellent vintage for his first."
Allen Meadows, The Burghound.
The New Zealand agency is available exclusively through Peter Maude Fine Wines.