Domaine Philippe Pacalet
BOURGOGNE
After the difficult decades following World War II, when intensive farming and mass production took hold, the 1980s and 90s marked a return to terroir in Burgundy. This shift led to vineyard and winemaking practices that eschewed chemicals, resulting in healthy, vibrant and authentic wines. The movement was led by passionate and committed individuals, such as Philippe Pacalet, who ushered in a new era for Burgundy’s vineyards.
Originally from Beaujolais—he is the nephew of Marcel Lapierre, a major figure of the Morgon cru and a pioneer of natural wine—Philippe Pacalet trained as an oenologist and apprenticed with Jules Chauvet before working in Côte-de-Nuits as the manager (1991-2000) of the renowned Domaine Prieuré Roch. There, he was able to implement his vision: managing an organic vineyard and favouring whole-cluster fermentation with native yeasts, no sulphur additions (except for a small dose at the end of the ageing process). In 2001, Pacalet became independent, launching a “haute couture” négociant business, renting meticulously selected vineyards (notably plots of "Pinot fin"), with contracts that allowed him to control vineyard practices, harvests and the winemaking. Today, Maison Pacalet produces around thirty prestigious cuvées from Côte-de-Nuits and Côte-de-Beaune, as well as Chablis, Beaujolais and the northern Rhône, all crafted in his expansive cellar in Beaune. His wines are exemplary, with elegant aromas and refined texture, expressive without artifice, aiming only to reveal the essence of each terroir.
