Thomas Pico - Pattes Loup / Bois d’Yver
Courgis, Chablis — Burgundy
http://www.pattes-loup.com/index.html
Certified Organic (Ecocert EU)
Twenty years into making some of the most unique and highly sought after Chablis, Thomas Pico remains humble, discreet, and steadfast in his dedication to farming the healthiest, most expressive grapes possible and caretaking the land as best he possibly can. While tasting through his wines in the cellar, it is evident that he is itching to get back out into the vineyard. Thomas’ eyes really start to shine when he’s showing you the lay of the land, the differences between the parcels, and when he points out important elements of his recent adoption to agroecology like the fruit trees he planted in the middle of his prized vineyards.
Thomas also farms and makes this show-stopping Chablis from his father’s historic 2.5ha estate, which he’s been quietly reviving since 2015. He is one of but a handful of producers working organically in Chablis, a region not known for sustainable production. Thomas runs Bois d'Yver as a separate estate parallel to Pattes Loup and follows the same principles - organic farming, no synthetic inputs, native yeast ferments, and aging that brings out the inherent complexity but ultimately, the freshness of the fruit. Although Bois d’Yver consists of one single AOC Village bottling, Thomas feels the parcels are distinctive enough to merit standing on their own.
The domaine was hit incredibly hard by hail in both 2016 and 2017. Thomas was forced to blend what little fruit he could salvage into Pattes Loup, save for a small amount of the 2017 harvest, which he generously agreed to bottle solely for us under the Bois d’Yver label.
