France BurgundyAu Pied du Mont Chauve

Au Pied du Mont Chauve

France

About the producer

About the producer

Au Pied du Mont Chauve are the wines made at Château de Chassagne-Montrachet, a huge property based in the heart of the village in the Côte de Beaune.

The wines are labelled Au Pied du Mont Chauve, however, because the château name legally belongs to the neighbouring estate Domaine Bader-Mimeur.

Since 1997, the property has been in the hands of the Picard family, who own six domaines in the Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise in total. The original Domaine Picard was a two-hectare estate in Chagny, south of Chassagne-Montrachet, at the northern limits of the Côte Chalonnaise. It was established in 1951 by Louis Felix Picard. Felix along with his son Michel (who worked on the estate from the age of 15) steadily increased their holdings, first in Mercurey and Rully in the Côte Chalonnaise before buying the Château de Chassagne-Montrachet in 1997. Michel’s daughter Francine Picard has been managing the various estates since the late 1990s. Today 110 hectares are farmed organically, and she began to converting the vineyards to biodynamic farming in 2010.

In total the Picard family manage 136 hectares (110 hectares) in the Côte Chalonnaise and 26 hectares in the Côte de Beaune, roughly split between 60% red and 40% white.

In the vineyard

In the vineyard

The Au Pied du Mont Chauve vineyards are predominantly based in the Côte de Beaune: with vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet, including six Premiers Crus; Puligny-Montrachet, including two Premiers Crus; and Saint-Aubin, including three Premiers Crus. They also have a Montagny Premier Cru as well as two Grand Cru plots: Corton Clos des Fiètres and Corton Charlemagne. They produce both red and white wines in the Premier Cru vineyards of Saint-Aubin Pitangerets, Le Charmois and Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Chaumées.

The vineyards at Au Pied du Mont Chauve are all farmed biodynamically, fed only with natural fertilizer from the surrounding farms and entirely ploughed by horse. The fruit is all hand-harvested. According to Francine, their conversion to biodynamic farming was in order to preserve and strengthen the structure of the plant, through an increase in soil health.

The 40-strong team at the estate carries out in-depth studies on the vines’ health, while also working in a harmonious way with nature, something which Francine believes increases the precision of the fruit. In May 2019, Antoine Lepetit de la Bigne, a specialist in biodynamic viticulture, joined the estate as Technical Director.

In the winery

In the winery

Sorting, pressing, fermentation, racking and bottling is all carried out according to the lunar calendar. Only natural yeasts are used during fermentation and particular attention is paid to the selection of oak casks as well as to the bottling date, in order to emphasise the different characteristics of each site.

The Chardonnays of the domaine are generally straight, tight, precise and acquire natural fat after a few years. For the reds there is an emphasis on retaining the perfumes of Pinot Noir at the domaine, with gentle pump-overs during fermentation to produce wines with supple tannins and precision on the finish.

Each year the new barrels are given a distinct colour banding. Walking through the 15th century cellars, it is easy to spot the age of each of the barriques used in what is a hugely colourful cellar.

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About the producer

Au Pied du Mont Chauve are the wines made at Château de Chassagne-Montrachet, a huge property based in the heart of the village in the Côte de Beaune.

The wines are labelled Au Pied du Mont Chauve, however, because the château name legally belongs to the neighbouring estate Domaine Bader-Mimeur.

In total the Picard family manage 136 hectares (110 hectares) in the Côte Chalonnaise and 26 hectares in the Côte de Beaune, roughly split between 60% red and 40% white.