Domaine Pinson Frères Mont-de-Milieu Chablis 1er Cru 2021 (Burgundy) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is an excellent Chablis Premier Cru that arrived at the LCBO as part of the recent October 7 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection as an Online & Flagship Exclusive - with inventory available both online and in-store.

It is produced by the renowned Domaine Pinson, a winemaking family with a long and storied history in the heart of Chablis that began with the construction of the family cellars in the year 1580. Winemaking in the Pinson family was documented in Chablis up until the year 1640, after which it returned in 1880, when the family farmed vineyards and other crops. In 1940, Louise Pinson and his wife, France, owned approximately 4 hectares of vineyards in the region of Chablis, including the sub-appellations of Chablis 1er Cru Montmain, Mont de Milieu, and Grand Cru Les Clos. Louise and France were dedicated solely to viticulture and the production of Chablis wines, and their Domaine became very popular with visitors.

In 1983, Laurent Pinson, the grandson of Louis, arrived at the Domaine following his studies in Beaune, and worked on the vines with his grandfather, while learning about and respecting the traditions of Chablis. In 1987, Christophe Pinson, the brother of Laurent, started working at the Domaine. At this point, Louis retired from the family business, while Laurent and Christophe took over the Domaine with the desire to see it succeed and grow. The Pinson brothers undertook new plantings on the family land and grew the number of vines to 14 hectares.

Laurent and Christophe further developed the Domaine in 2004 by creating a new vat room, storage buildings, a new pressing room, as well as renovating the two large vaulted cellars intended for ageing wines. In 2008, the next generation of the Pinson family joined the Domaine when Charlène Pinson, daughter of Laurent, arrived at the farm following her studies in viticulture-oenology in Beaune. In 2019, the estate obtained its High Environmental Value (HVE) level 3 designation, reaffirming its commitment to sustainable production practices, including preservation of the environment and protecting biodiversity.

Today, the philosophy at Domain Pinson is that great wines begin with good grapes. Their passion and love for working the vines and the Chablisian soil allows the Pinson family to obtain the best fruit. Growing almost exclusively Chardonnay, all of the grapes are hand-harvested. They respect family traditions, while also applying modern techniques and respecting the environment. With roots in Chablis going back 450 years, the Pinson family remains united in their passion for excellence in wine.

This white wine is crafted with 100% Chardonnay that was grown in the Climat of Mont-de-Milieu The name "Mont-de-Milieu", which means "Mountain in the Middle", refers to peculiarity of this hillside that used to have a boundary running through its middle ("milleu") - one side which was in the jurisdiction of Chablis (which used to be located in the County of Champagne), and the other side which was in Fleys, in the Duchy of Bourgogne. Located on a hillside, Mont de Milieu is protected from the northern winds by the forest. The climate in Mont de Milieu is bathed in sunshine from morning to evening due to its south-southeast exposure to the sun, on an average slope. The soil in this Climat is often said to be homogeneous throughout its 44 hectares with clay and limestone of the Kimmeridgien type with small white limestone pebbles.

From vines averaging 20 years old, the grapes were manually harvested and underwent both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in thermo-regulated vats and (10%) new barrels. The wine was aged on its fine lees in 228 Litre oak barrels for 9 months, with stirring, with the age of the barrels ranging from 2 to 6 years old, and was bottled 12 months after harvest.

From a challenging vintage where the best producers were able to make small quantities of great wines, let's see how this 2021 Mont-de-Milieu Chablis 1er Cru is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

DOMAINE PINSON FRÈRES MONT-DE-MILIEU CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2021 - AC, Burgundy, France (#700914) (XD) - $74.95
100% Chardonnay. Elegant, refined, medium+ to medium-high intensity aromatics offers ripe lemon citrus, stony minerality, and apple with accents of white peach. It's medium-bodied with a lovely chewy, well-structured, and textured mouthfeel with complex, ripe flavours of lemon citrus, apple, oyster-shell, and leesy mineral accented with orange and honey notes, plus touches of vanilla and butter. It's juicy with succulent acidity, and has a chalky textured mouthfeel on the mid-palate. Excellent length on the elegant finish which lingers for minutes, with stony, leesy mineral notes, plus touches of honey and apple. Immensely pleasurable now, but will be even better with a couple of years in the cellar and should drink well to the end of the decade. Highly recommended buy! Score: 94 pts

Other fine wines by Domaine Pinson can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia / Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.