Despite Alvina and Domaine Paul Pernot sharing many of the
same vineyards, there are notable differences in the winery. When Alvina
started she was adamant she didn't want to make a carbon copy of the domaine
wines, but rather try to produce a wine in her own image: reflecting her own
vision of wine, her own vision of Puligny-Montrachet.
With the smaller production levels, she believes
an extra attention to detail becomes possible. She typically picks three to
four days earlier than the domaine, opting for a fresher more linear style of
wine. She hand-harvests all the fruit into small crates, as opposed to the
traditional large containers, better protecting the grapes against oxidation.
During the all-important pressing stage, Alvina when possible prefers to use
the more traditional vertical press, rather than the more widely used modern
horizontal pneumatic presses, though she currently uses both. According to Alvina, the traditional vertical presses have
a distinct qualitative advantage despite losing 15 to 20% more juice than
modern presses: “It reduces oxidation, provides a greater purity of juice with
naturally higher acidity and therefore freshness.”
