Beneath Savigny: A Return to Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot
Journal · Visit of Wednesday 23 September 2026
On a Wednesday in late September we went back to Savigny-lès-Beaune to visit Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot. Harvest had just finished and the village was busy. Tractors went by, presses were being hosed down and the smell of fermenting must came up from every cellar door.
At the Pavelot gates, Jean-Marc, Hugues and their father were cleaning the barrels that will soon take in the 2026 vintage. It was picked a few days ago and is still fermenting in the vats. Hugues welcomed us and led us underground, past the main cellar where the barrels rest, to the tasting room. It is a vaulted stone cellar with a bar at its centre. Its walls are covered with maps of the domaine's parcels, and over the next hour we kept going back to them as each wine took us to a different part of the slope.
A Savigny specialist
Domaine Pavelot is a family estate devoted to Savigny-lès-Beaune, and its premier crus in particular. It farms four premier cru climats in the village, alongside a Savigny-lès-Beaune Village red and a Village white. After a period of organic conversion, the 2024 vintage is the first to carry full organic certification.
Some of the cuvées are made in significant volumes, so the domaine can supply much of Europe, Asia, North America and the Pacific. Arcana Cabinet ships these wines to most countries where direct import is possible.
We have worked with the Pavelots for many years. This time we went back to basics and tasted most of the range again from the beginning.
The whites
Village · Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot
Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc 2024
This Chardonnay comes from 0.98 ha across two parcels, Les Planchots and Les Vermots. The vines are a mix of ages: 37% are 66 years old, 48% are 36 years old and 15% are 6 years old. The 2024 is fruity, generous and opulent, and its balance is spot on.
The grapes are pressed directly, gently and progressively. Fermentation runs on native yeasts in barrel, and the malolactic fermentation follows naturally in the same barrels. The wine then ages for 10 months before bottling. The share of new oak is kept to 20%, so the wood stays subtle and well integrated.
13.5% vol.
Village · Hugues Pavelot
Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc 2023
This wine comes from Hugues' négoce label. He makes it from grapes bought from another grower, and his style is easy to recognise. It has tension and balance, a crisp profile, and just enough oak to give it an edge. We see real ageing potential here.
A grand cru in waiting
Before we moved on to the reds, Hugues told us about the domaine's Corton Grand Cru Blanc. The parcel's vines had grown so old that their yields were no longer viable, so it was replanted last year. The Corton label should return in about ten years. We did not taste it on this visit, but a few bottles of the 2023 are still available on request.
The village red
Village · Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot
Savigny-lès-Beaune Rouge 2023
This wine comes from 6.63 ha of 50-year-old vines, spread over parcels all around the village. Five cuvées from different sites and soils are blended, which gives the wine real complexity. It shows ripe red and black berry aromas. A changeable early summer was followed by a warm August that brought the grapes to full ripeness, and the wine keeps a good balance.
Maceration lasts 11 to 14 days. Gentle punch-downs open the fermentation, then pump-overs take over for the remaining two thirds. The malolactic fermentation takes place naturally in barrel, followed by 12 months of oak ageing. It drinks well now and has some ageing potential.
13.5% vol.
These first three wines are good entry points into Savigny-lès-Beaune. They work well for an aperitif or a relaxed tasting. The heart of the Pavelot range is further up the hierarchy, though. Across its four premier cru climats, the domaine shows how varied and how good Savigny can be.
The premiers crus
The appellations of Savigny-lès-Beaune. The domaine's four premiers crus are shown in dark red: Aux Guettes, Aux Serpentières and Aux Gravains above the village, La Dominode to the south towards Beaune.
1er Cru · Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Serpentières 2023
The name comes from the springs that appear in this parcel in wet years and wind down the slope like snakes. The 0.95 ha plot of 65-year-old vines sits mid-slope and faces south, on deep marl scattered with angular stones.
The wine is elegant, with ripe red fruit and generous, powdery tannins. The structure is harmonious and fresh, with a mineral line, and the oak is present but well integrated. It is the most aromatically complex of the range.
Harvested on 15 September 2023, with 14 days of maceration. Moderate punch-downs for the first five days are followed by pump-overs, and 10% whole clusters add tannin and structure. Natural malolactic fermentation, then 12 months in oak, 20% of it new.
13.7% vol.
1er Cru · Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Guettes 2023
Guetter is French for to watch or to keep a lookout. The parcel sits at the top of the hill and looks straight down over the village and the valley towards Beaune. These 1.48 ha of 35-year-old vines are planted on a steep, south-facing slope with very shallow, mostly limestone soil. Yields here are naturally low, and that shows in the concentration of the wine.
Deep red and black fruit flavours sit on a rich structure. The aromas last a long time, and the finish is long with smooth tannins.
Harvested on 17 September 2023, with 13 days of maceration: four days of punch-downs, then pump-overs. Natural malolactic fermentation in barrel, then 12 months in oak, 23% of it new.
13.2% vol.
1er Cru · Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Gravains 2023
Gravains means a stony soil. It belongs to a family of Burgundian place names that mark ground well suited to quality grapes, alongside Caillerets, Cras, Crais, Cailles, Grèves, Chailles, Chaillots, Perrières and Roches. The Graves of Bordeaux shares the same root. This parcel faces south at the foot of the slope, where the soil is deeper and richer.
The nose combines deep, ripe fruit with a strong floral side of rose petals and red flowers. The texture is elegant, and the soft tannins and the fruit are in harmony. It is excellent now and can be cellared for about ten years.
Harvested on 12 September 2023, with 15 days of maceration: five days of punch-downs, then pump-overs. 22% whole clusters add structure. Natural malolactic fermentation in barrel, then 12 months in oak, 25% of it new.
13.7% vol.
1er Cru · Domaine Jean-Marc et Hugues Pavelot · Flagship
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode 2023
The name comes from the Latin dominus, meaning lord. This land once belonged to the lord of Savigny. It does not always appear on vineyard maps and lies between Les Marconnets and Les Jarrons. The domaine's 2.22 ha face east on clay mixed with sand, which sets La Dominode apart from its other premiers crus. It has more structure, more tannin and more body, and it can age for fifteen years or more.
The vineyard is old. 45% of the vines are 90 years old, 32% are 40 and 23% are 20. Each age group is picked and fermented separately, then blended before bottling. The nose opens on dried red flowers, followed by fruit, spice and musk. On the palate it is creamy and opulent, with a very long finish. It is the domaine's flagship wine. It shows its full potential after about seven years, when the tannins soften and the tertiary aromas appear.
Harvested on 13 September 2023, with 17 days of maceration: six days of punch-downs, then pump-overs. 30% whole clusters. Natural malolactic fermentation in barrel, then 12 months in oak, 30% of it new.
13.7% vol.
Our impressions
We left the cellar confirmed in what we already believed. The wines of Jean-Marc and Hugues Pavelot offer remarkable value, from the village wines through to La Dominode. For anyone looking for both choice and excellence around Beaune, this is a domaine we are proud to recommend.
The Cabinet opens
Back up the stairs, the barrels were ready and the 2026 was still fermenting in the vats. Before long it will go into the cellar we had just left, and years from now it will be poured into a glass somewhere far from Savigny.
That is what the Cabinet is for. We go into cellars like this one and bring back the wines, the stories behind their names and the people who make them. Discover the Pavelot selection in the Cabinet, from the village wines to La Dominode, alongside the négoce wines of Hugues Pavelot. The last bottles of Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2023 are available on request. We ship across Europe, and for collectors further afield, speak to your concierge for a tailored proposal.
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