Domaine Robert Chevillon Bourgogne Passetoutgrain

Notes from importer Kermit Lynch. 'Ah, the great terroirs of Gamay: Morgon! Moulin-à-Vent! Nuits-Saint-Georges??? Believe it or not, Gamay has been grown around the Côte d’Or for centuries and served a much greater historical purpose than cheap juice for the harvest pickers. Traditionally made Burgundian Pinot Noir, especially in the colder pre–global warming years of yore, took several years to unwind and shed its tannin and austerity.

Gamay gave the growers something young and bright to drink in the meantime. Passetoutgrain, a word based on old local patois and generally meaning “toss it all in,” is an archaic and rapidly disappearing local appellation for field blends of Gamay and Pinot Noir that are harvested and cofermented together. The Chevillons, world renowned for their muscular and powerful Nuits-Saint-Georges, show a softer side here. Fresh and smooth Gamay/Pinot blend from the slopes of Nuits-Saint-Georges—that’s not a phrase you hear every day. Pass the peas and passe the toutgrain, please!'