Chambers Street Welcomes Jean-Pierre Charlot from Domaine Joseph Voillot

4/6/17 -

It is perhaps only in a village blessed with as many fabulous vignerons and famous wineries as Volnay, that a venerable domaine that stretches back five generations might be somewhat overlooked.  Yet this is somehow the case with Joseph Voillot in Volnay. With nine hectares of well-situated, old vines across Volnay and Pommard, Voillot is a delight for lovers of classically styled Burgundies. The wines are pure, mineral, terroir-specific and they age beautifully.

The domaine has been run since 1995 by the puckish Jean-Pierre Charlot, son-in-law of the late Joseph Voillot after working alongside his father-in-law beginning in 1980. During this period Jean-Pierre also taught for many years at Lycée Viticole in Beaune, where he trained a bevy of Burgundy’s finest winemakers. His work in the vines and cellar produce wines that highlight the terroir of each site; his deft hand is especially evident in difficult vintages, when his wines shine.

At Voillot, the winemaking is traditional, with minimal intervention and focus on terroir and purity. To this end, the grapes are destemmed, the cuvées see 10-20% new oak, the premier crus are aged in barrel for sixteen months before resting in tank before bottling, the Villages and Bourgogne wines see a shorter elevage. Sulfur is minimized, to allow the aromatic purity to shine through. The reds are bottled with minimal filtration and without fining. The resulting wines are lovely on release, though they really gain in harmony and complexity with time in the cellar.

-John McIlwain

Today we are proud to welcome Jean-Pierre Charlot for an in-store tasting at Chambers Street Wines from 5-7PM. He will pour a selection of his Burgundies from 2013 and 2014 and we hope you'll be able to join us. John McIlwain