"The wines are elegant, plump and understated, letting all the fruit spring out, yet never simple. There is depth here, and they last." - Clive Coates

"I was quite impressed with the Pavelot 2011s, indeed this is one of the very few domaines in the Côte de Beaune where their 2011s may even be better than their 2010s." - Allen Meadows
 

We certainly adore the Savignys at Chandon de Brialles, Camus-Bruchon and Bruno Clair, among others, but along with Simon Bize, Pavelot is the top name to know in the village. Hugues Pavelot has now taken over this great domaine from his father, Jean-Marc, though the style has remained largely the same from one generation to the next, thankfully. The domaine does not include much in the way of stems, unlike Bize, who favors whole cluster fermentation. Their wines, compared to those chez Bize, are more open-knit and accessible in their youth. Bize's wines are more hard edged and tight in their first few years in many vintages, though they blossom into stunning bottles with around a decade of age. The two domaines share an emphasis on purity and restraint, and, just like Bize, they use a very small percentage of new oak. It would be an insult to say these wines transcend their terroir, because they are ultimately the perfect display of what the best pieces of terroir in Savigny are capable of when farmed meticulously and treated with a graceful hand in the cellar. Though they certainly transcend the reputation of this overlooked appellation, when you taste these wines, you know that you’re drinking Savigny.

The wines are pleasantly fleshy but with tension, crystalline texture and poise, defined by high tones and beautiful aromatics. They have balance and staying power but also approachability. '11 is actually an ideal vintage for this style, and Hugues channeled the year with pinpoint accuracy. This is stunning, fine-grained Burgundy that will excite everyone from the novice Burgundy drinker to the lifelong Burgundy obsessive. Though these are are extremely attractive in their youth, they will have no problem keeping pace with many more renowned Cote de Nuits counterparts in the cellar. These are special wines that have been consistently excellent over the past few vintages. Even though these are laughably inexpensive given their quality, they are made in very small quantities and have been increasingly allocated. Factor in the short crops in '10, '11, '12 and what's looking like will be the same case in '13 and these little beauties are becoming rarer by the vintage. Don't say we didn't warn you.