70% PInot Noir, 30% Gamay
Volnay, Cote de Beanue, Burgundy, France
Multiple in Volnay
well-draining limestone, hard marl, soft marl, sandy clay, pebbles
Vincent and Francois Bitouzet rigorously tend their vineyards, practicing organic viticulture that includes practices such as “sexual confusion” to reduce insect infestations, the use of organic compost when necessary, no herbicides or pesticides and severe limitations on the use of copper sulfate. Harvest is done manually.
Classic Burgundian vinification is practiced at this traditional domaine. Only indigenous yeasts are used. For the reds there is a brief cold maceration, the grapes are completely destemmed, and there is a cuvaison of approximately 2 weeks. Bitouzet effects a “pigeage” twice a day and seeks to maximize the temperature during fermentation at 35 degrees Celsius. However, the “pigeage", or punch down of grape skins to submerge them in the. must, is done less often if the character of the vintage indicates that a lighter hand will produce more well-balanced wines. Malolactic fermentation takes place in the 228L barrels. The reds are bottled between 20 and 24 months after harvest.
Drink now or age up to 10 years
Excellent acidity, especially if you want to age this beauty. Cranberry, cherry, strawberry, spicy notes, and earthy minerality.
Vegetable burgers, mushroom pasta dishes, beef bourguignon, roast meats, chicken or vegetable couscous with cumin or Za'atar. Full-flavored cheeses.
This is a not-very-common wine, especially since Rosenthal sequesters a few barrels of available vintages of Bitouzet-Prieur's Passetoutgrain whilst the rest is sold to négociants (wine merchants). Passe-tout-grains is an appellation that is by blend of grape, not by specific land area. In Burgundy, there are two appellations (AC) that derive grapes from multiple AOCs rather than one designated land area: Bourgogne Cotes d’Or and Borgogne Passe-tout-grains. The latter is fulfilled when at least 1/3 of the blend is Pinot Noir, and the rest is Gamay. Because Gamay is not grown much in Burgundy (excluding Beaujolais in that comment), most of the grapes are derived from Saône-et-Loire, especially the Maconnais where favorable soils are sands, clay, and pebbles of granitic origin.
From importer Rosenthal:
A committed classicist, Vincent Bitouzet has provided us with over thirty-years worth of structured, demanding, age-worthy, satisfying wines, both red and white, from the heart of the Cote de Beaune. Based in Volnay and blessed with extensive holdings in Meursault as well, this domaine is a tried and true standard bearer for all that is fundamentally good and sound in Burgundy: conscientious and sensitive work in the vineyards, respect above all for the specific character of each lieu-dit, patience and attention to detail in the cellar, and a commitment to producing wines of depth and, of critical importance, longevity. To truly understand great white and red burgundy, one must wait for these grand expressions of terroir to mature to reveal their splendor and spectacular nuance.
Vincent Bitouzet’s ancestral roots in Burgundy cover at least the last two centuries. His great-great grandfather, M. Gillotte, arrived in Auxey Duresses in 1802 and was mayor of that village. In 1804, the Bitouzet line settled in Volnay. The Bitouzets were one of the first of the family domaines in this region to bottle their wines. Vincent’s grandfather had already garnered medals for his winemaking talents in 1860. Vincent’s wife, Annie Prieur, has equally distinguished antecedents. Her family (both Prieurs and Perronnets) was long established in Meursault and Ladoix. The resulting “merger” of the Bitouzet and Prieur family holdings has created a domaine of distinction and breadth. Francois Bitouzet, the only son of Vincent and Annie, is now working hand-in-hand with his parents as he maintains the deep Burgundian roots of his ancestors.
Volnay is one of three principle areas in Cote de Beaune. It sits at between 700 and 900 feet above sea level, and it has steep,narrow slopes that require hand cultivation of the vines as well as hand harvesting. The red wines tend to be silky, a nod to Volnay's namesake "Volen," the god of water, and it features intense aromas. This passetoutgrains wine showcases a perfect harmony between delicacy and intensity with riveting tension.
