Roland Pignard
Hardly a newcomer to winemaking, Roland Pignard took over the family estate in 1977 and immediately turned towards organic practices. In 2004, he and his wife Joëlle sold off most of the estate, retaining only 4.5ha to concentrate on better farming, and received organic (Ecocert) and then biodynamic (Demeter) certification. Vineyard treatments rely on biodynamic preparations with minimal copper-sulfate, and all tilling is done by horse-drawn implements so as to not compact the soil. Picking is done by a crew of 20 (the same pickers each year, which is very important says Roland) and carbonic macerations are short (only 6 to 12 days depending on the cuvée) as Roland feels that long macerations can result in the development of undesirable yeasts and bacterias, and gives wines that are too extracted. All the wines are aged in cement cuves (except one cuvée of Morgon called "Tradition"), and no SO2 is used during fermentation or élevage, with a minimal dose added before bottling, giving a total of about 8-10mg/L. The resulting wines have subtle, pure fruit with perfect acidity and a pronounced mineral character with graphite, stone and earthy qualities.