Domaine Pattes Loup

Thomas Pico established Domaine Pattes Loup in 2005, but the story begins a generation earlier. His grandfather planted the original vines using selection massale, and the family estate was known as Domaine de Bois d'Yver. When his grandfather died, Pico returned to Courgis in 2004, reportedly following a deathbed instruction to correct past vineyard mistakes. He inherited 2.5 hectares, including the namesake Pattes Loup parcel, and launched his own label the following year with 8 hectares drawn from the family property. A new winery was constructed in 2014 to support the growing operation, and by 2011 critics were already calling the estate one of the new stars of the region.

• Family estate previously operated as Domaine de Bois d'Yver before Thomas Pico's 2005 relaunch
• Pico returned to Courgis in 2004 following his grandfather's death and launched the Pattes Loup label in 2005
• Original Pattes Loup parcel of 2.5 hectares was inherited from his grandfather, whose vines were established via selection massale
• New winery built in 2014 to accommodate the expanded 22-hectare estate

Thomas Pico is the third generation of his family to farm in Courgis, and he has reshaped the estate's identity entirely around minimal intervention and meticulous viticulture. The domaine now employs 11 full-time staff across 22 hectares, a staffing ratio comparable to benchmark natural wine estates such as Domaine Dagueneau and Domaine Leroy. Pico is also a community builder: he co-founded the annual wine fair Chai l'Un Chai l'Autre alongside Alice and Olivier de Moor of the neighboring de Moor family domaine. His 2024 growing season delivered one of the estate's most difficult harvests, with 1,500 millimeters of rainfall, severe mildew pressure, frost, and coulure causing over 80 percent crop loss, yet biodynamic certification was maintained throughout.

• Third-generation vigneron; expanded the estate progressively by acquiring his father's vines in addition to the inherited grandfather parcels
• Co-founded Chai l'Un Chai l'Autre wine fair with Alice and Olivier de Moor
• 2024 vintage suffered over 80 percent crop loss from frost, coulure, and 1,500mm of rainfall, among the most challenging seasons on record
• Employs 11 full-time staff across 22 hectares, approximately one worker per hectare

The Pattes Loup holdings are concentrated around Courgis on the left bank of the Serein river, a commune that sits at higher elevations than the Chablis village core. The flagship Vent d'Ange cuvee is a Villages-level wine sourced from three parcels totaling 2 hectares, planted with 40 to 60 year old vines. At Premier Cru level, Beauregard stands out for its 330-meter elevation and southeast exposure, which make it the highest and coolest Premier Cru in the appellation. Butteaux, a lieu-dit within the Montmains Premier Cru, climbs to 300 meters on a steep, southwest-facing coteau with shallow, stony topsoil and vines aged 30 to 60 years. Pico also sources fruit from the Vaillons Premier Cru, specifically the Sechet lieu-dit, purchasing grapes from Gerard Duplessis.

• Beauregard Premier Cru: 330m elevation, SE-facing, identified as the highest and coolest Premier Cru site in Chablis, vines 30 to 55 years old
• Butteaux (within Montmains Premier Cru): up to 300m, SW-facing, steep coteau with shallow stony soils, vines 30 to 60 years old
• Vent d'Ange Villages cuvee blends three parcels, la Menarde, les Malantes, and Pattes Loup, totaling 2 hectares with 40 to 60 year old vines
• Cote de Jouan Premier Cru also held, rounding out a portfolio of four Premier Cru sites across 22 total hectares

Pico's approach is defined by what he refuses to do as much as by what he does. All fruit is hand harvested and hand sorted; mechanical harvesters are not used. Fermentation relies entirely on indigenous yeasts with no commercial additions, and wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal sulfite additions. Elevage timelines are unusually long by Chablis standards: village wines age for a minimum of 18 months, while Premier Crus spend 36 to 48 months in cellar before release. Vessel choice varies by cuvee and includes concrete egg-shaped fermenters, stainless steel tanks, and older French oak barrels. The 2021 Chablis village wine was notable for the influence of noble rot, demonstrating how closely Pico's low-intervention philosophy tracks each vintage's character.

• Premier Cru elevage of 36 to 48 months is among the longest aging programs in the Chablis appellation
• Fermentation with indigenous yeasts only; wines bottled unfiltered, unfined, with minimal SO2
• Vessels include concrete eggs, stainless steel, and older French oak, chosen per cuvee rather than as a house standard
• 2021 village Chablis notable for noble rot character; 2020 Premier Crus released in 2024 after nearly four years elevage

Domaine Pattes Loup has earned its reputation as one of the reference points for a new generation of Chablis producers who reject industrial shortcuts without abandoning rigor. Pico demonstrates that biodynamic viticulture is viable in a marginal northern climate, and his long elevage releases show that Chablis Chardonnay has an aging potential that many producers and consumers still underestimate. The Courgis terroir, with its high-altitude parcels and Kimmeridgian soils, gives Pico's wines a tension and salinity that distinguish them from the Chablis mainstream. His wines appear on natural and organic wine bar lists globally, and the estate's staffing ratio and herbicide-free milestone mark it as a model for sustainable winegrowing in northern Burgundy. The 2024 season, devastating as it was, underlined that serious farming in difficult climates carries real risk, and that Pico's commitment to these standards is unconditional.

• Recognized by Antonio Galloni in 2011 as 'arguably the single most exciting young domaine in Chablis'
• Biodynamic certification maintained through the catastrophic 2024 season despite over 80 percent crop loss
• Wines distributed to natural wine bars and specialist retailers globally, with limited production making allocations scarce
• Represents the high-altitude, long-elevage potential of the Courgis subzone within the broader Chablis appellation