The name Au Pied de Mont Chauve is a nod to the Montrachet hillside above. Francine Picard began developing this name in 2007, and now it is used for all the Château’s wines given that a rule is being newly enforced to prevent the Château of one wine village offering bottles from a different appellation. 2019 marks organic certification for the Au Pied de Mont Chauve vineyards which total 30ha in Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and St-Aubin.

Antoine Lepetit de la Bigne, biodynamic consultant, spent a year here as technical director. The wines are now made by Alice Evrard.

The whites are pressed directly, settled overnight then sent to barrel to start fermenting. Wood of various different sizes may be used, 228 and 350 litre barrels and some foudres. Little sulphur was employed at the 2019 harvest and none at all in 2020. The lees are rarely stirred and the wines are racked to tank at the end of the first year.

The reds were previously all destemmed, though this has changed in 2020 with 20-50% whole bunches used in some cuvées. Vinification is now without sulphur, in stainless steel tanks, with light extraction, followed by maturation in 10 to 30% new wood. My experience with the wines of Au Pied de Mont Chauve is very recent, but a page is clearly turning here. Wines to look out for include the unexpected red Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées, as well as the excellent white from that vineyard, and the rare Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Demoiselles.