2019 Corton Grand Cru Clos du Roi, Domaine Joannès Violot-Guillemard

This estate is a little-known jewel, making wine in Pommard for 5 generations, farming organically since 1999. 6 hectares in cultivation has now grown to more than 8, thanks to a family inheritance, and Joannès has taken over prime responsibilities from his father Thierry. The latter’s philosophies still drive the methods, however. As Thierry used to say. “I want to keep my terroirs healthy. No yeasting, no reverse osmosis, not too many technical interventions and not too much wood, so as not to alter the taste of the wine. I love the delicacy and the elegance, the distinctive Pinot, and above all, the fun!” This is very much a family Domaine, with Thierry’s wife Estelle, Joannès’s mother, being hands-on throughout the vineyard year, which includes cultivating micro-organisms to vivify the composts. Joannès talks about the small changes he has introduced. “From 2019, we retained a higher proportion of whole bunches in the red wines than in the past, and I decided to rack the reds from barrel before the autumn, in preparation for bottling in November.” The pursuit of harmony is constant here.