Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/611718
20 / the tasting panel / december 2015 TASTINGS Philippe Pacalet in the cellar. W hen Burgundian vintner Philippe Pacalet talks about winemaking, his background in physics shows itself: He speaks of "transformation," both when talking about how the French winemaking world slowly moved from chaptalized, oaky wines to organic and low-sulfur ones, and in terms of how a great wine can also be transformative, to the drinker. The word choice also recalls his formative years, spent working with renowned chemist and winemaker Jules Chauvet, who, along with Pacalet's uncle, Marcel Lapierre, sparked a natu- ral winemaking revolution in Beaujolais. "I try to use ancestral methods," said Pacalet on a recent visit to New York, where he led a staff training at the new Brooklyn wine bar Four Horsemen, and hosted a special event at SoHo's The Ten Bells. "If people were doing things that way before, there was a reason." With organically farmed grapes, which Pacalet sources through long-term contracts from top sites throughout the Côte d'Or, and spon- taneous fermentations and minimal intervention in the cellar, using almost no sulfur, Pacalet continues the legacy of natural winemaking. The 2013 releases from Pacalet include a Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Gevrey- Chambertin, Nuits-St-George, and a 1er Cru made from two Chambolle- Musigny sites, Les Gruenchers, and Les Feusselots; all are imported by Cape Classics. Despite their youth, the wines are drinking quite well right now, although the Nuits-St-Georges in particular will benefit from aging. A Tradition of Working Naturally 2013 RELEASES FROM BURGUNDIAN WINEMAKER PHILIPPE PACALET by Rachel Signer CREDIT: PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIPPE PACALET Chassagne-Montrachet. Pommard. Puligny-Montrachet. Nuits-Saint-Georges. Gevrey-Chambertin. Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru. Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy. A Selection of Burgundy Wines from Philippe Pacalet, imported by Cape Classics.