Alvina Pernot, Bourgogne Blanc Cote d'Or 2020

Despite Alvina and Domaine Paul Pernot sharing many of the same vineyards, there are notable differences in the winery. When Alvina started she was adamant she didn't want to make a carbon copy of the domaine wines, but rather try to produce a wine in her own image: reflecting her own vision of wine, her own vision of Puligny-Montrachet.

With the smaller production levels, she believes an extra attention to detail becomes possible. She typically picks three to four days earlier than the domaine, opting for a fresher more linear style of wine. She hand-harvests all the fruit into small crates, as opposed to the traditional large containers, better protecting the grapes against oxidation. During the all-important pressing stage, Alvina when possible prefers to use the more traditional vertical press, rather than the more widely used modern horizontal pneumatic presses, though she currently uses both. According to Alvina, the traditional vertical presses have a distinct qualitative advantage despite losing 15 to 20% more juice than modern presses: “It reduces oxidation, provides a greater purity of juice with naturally higher acidity and therefore freshness.”

Alvina Pernot – grand-daughter of Puligny-Montrachet-based producerPaul Pernot– established her own label in 2018, with her husband Philippe Abadie. They currently use the facilities at Domaine Paul Pernot to produce the wines, but are in the process of building their own winery in Puligny-Montrachet. Alvina largely purchases grapes from the Domaine Paul Pernot vineyards but also has acquired access to a separate plot that borders their back garden in Puligny, in the esteemed Noyers Bret.

Alvina currently produces seven cuvées. All are white wines apart from the her cuvée from the Bievaux vineyard in the village of Santenay.