Short Summary

After studying viticulture and enology in Beaune and then spending time in Australia, Hugues ​returned to the cellar to eventually take the reins from his father, Jean-Marc, who remains his most important teacher. The Pavelots have been in Savigny-lès-Beaune for generations, and Hugues came into his own during the pretty miserable 2011 to 2014 stretch. Constant frost, hail and seemingly every other vineyard calamity imaginable tested the mettle of its growers. This forced Hugues to mature quickly and under pressure. Today, their roughly 13 hectares are certified organic (as of the 2024 vintage) and spread across an unusually complete collection of Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru terroirs and village wines. Though sometimes only a short walk separates the two opposing hills, the variability between the crus​, caused by combes, expositions, altitudes, topsoil and bedrock construction​, makes this commune an undeniably interesting and more affordable university for Côte d’Or terroir studies. On the south hill with more easterly expositions, Dominode is their great vin de garde and the ethereal and generous Peuillets is its near opposite. On the north hill with southerly exposures, Gravains, centered below the Combe d’Orange, can be the all-around MVP for full-but-suave texture and seductive aromas; Lavières, ​a pretty and light but fleshier wine; Guettes, the straight, mineral-and-iron terroir-shooter; and their upper sections of Serpentières, a perfect marriage of Guettes and Gravains. The Pavelots have always had a talent for weaving savory and earthy nuances without becoming overly rustic. Now there’s more high-toned red fruit, more lift and early-drinking charm. The whole range is more precise than ever and the Pavelots remain one of the Côte’s elite growers, with prices that rewind the clock.

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