From his early years, Philippe Pacalet learned to make wine alongside his uncle Marcel Lapierre, a great winemaker from Villié-Morgon. During his enology studies, he writes a thesis on natural yeast under the supervision of Jules Chauvet, wine merchant and scientist, pioneer of Sulphur-free vinification. In 1991, Philippe becomes manager and winemaker of the Prieuré Roch estate in Nuits-Saint-Georges, which boasts a magnificent heritage of great appellations. He puts into practice what he had learned from his mentors: organic viticulture, whole-bunch fermentation using only indigenous yeasts, without adding any SO₂, - the opposite of what was practiced in Burgundy at that time -.
In 2001, Philippe Pacalet creates his own trading business, by innovating. Rather than buying vines in the Côte-d’Or, he establishes short contracts (up to 7 years) with owners from whom he rents the vines and buys the harvest. He selects parcels planted with old strains of fine Pinots on quality rootstocks. His mobile teams carry out the work of the “organic” viticulture, right up to the harvest. Philippe Pacalet now vinifies around 30 appellations from the Yonne to the Côte-d’Or. In recent years, he has added Moulin-à-Vent, Chénas and, further south, Cornas, Condrieu and Côte-Rotie to his range. The estate now employs 12 permanent staff members and its productions reaches 70,000 bottles.
Philippe Pacalet claims to be a hands-off person; his winemaking is carried out according to the laws of nature, but, as a scientist, he leaves nothing to chance. His whites ferment in barrels after a light settling. The reds macerate for 3 to 4 weeks with old-fashioned punching of the cap with the feet. The wines are aged for 15 to 18 months in barrels (of 1 to 3 wines) without racking. The barrels are rolled in order to put the lees back into suspension in the wines and contribute to their softness. At the end of the ageing process, a little Sulphur is used to stabilize the wines.
The red wines (as well as the whites) of the estate are known to be good at all ages. Young, they excite the taster with their black fruits bouquets and flowers mixed with amber notes (vanilla orchids, balsams). The definition and flavors specific to each terroir are remarkably transcribed. The silky mouths reveal a palette of rare flavors, the result of remarkable work from the vine to the glass.