Burgundy has historically been one of the oldest terroirs of reference for Pinot Noir wines.
Our 'Origines' cuvée is crafted from grapes hailing from a mosaic of plots that overlie calcareous clay soil, with varying exposure and altitude. The diversity of these terroirs along with careful vinification and aging allow the Pinot Noir grape to produce an aromatic, fleshy, refined wine.

TASTING
Fresh, fine nose featuring notes of black and red fruit (raspberry, blackcurrant...). Fresh and fruity on the palate, this fleshy, supple wine is well balanced and boasts a pleasant fruity finish.

FOOD/WINE PAIRING
Taste this wine with roasted or braised red and white meats, or medium cheeses.

Soil: Calcareous clay soil
Average age of the vine: 25 to 30 years
WINEMAKING
Harvest: Handpicked
Fermentation: Thermo-regulated conical oak vats and Thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks
Fermentation time: 18 to 20 days
AGING
Aging: 20% in oak barrels, 80% in vats
Aging time: 10 to 12 months

SERVING AND KEEPING
Serve at 14-15°C (57-59°F).
To taste young on the fruit or to keep 3 to 4 years.

The first traces of the Bichot family date back to 1214. They settled in Burgundy in 1350, in their stronghold of Châteauneuf-en-Auxois. The family's coat of arms has not changed since nor has its symbol, a doe.

In 1831, Bernard Bichot founded a wine trading business in his name in Monthélie. His son, Hippolyte, succeeded him and bought the first vines in Volnay, already convinced that upstream control was essential. His son, Albert Bichot, the first to bear the name, gave the family business new momentum in the late 19th century and settled in the center of Beaune once and for all in 1912.

The second Albert Bichot, who was born in 1900, was a pioneer of international commerce. North America, Asia, Oceania… He traveled incessantly in order to introduce our wines, which were already recognized as being among the best, to wine lovers around the world.

In the second half of the 20th century, his four sons, Albert, Bernard, Bénigne and Jean-Marc, inherited this know-how. A new era of expansion began with the construction of a large aging cellar, a new bottling center and winery. Our wines were available in all of the world's continents.

After having gone off to discover the world, (from the Arctic to Adélie Land), Albéric Bichot joined the company in the early 90s and took over its management in 1996. Though he fully respects family traditions, he is completely focused on the future. He compares himself to the "conductor of an orchestra, proud to bring people and their talents together over a common project".

The challenges are numerous: converting to organic viticulture in the Côte-d'Or vineyards, on-going adaptation to new markets, increasing the prestige and exposure of Burgundy wines and much more.

Convinced that the quality of wine depends on the quality of the grapes, he focused on developing the upstream control that was undertaken in the 1980s. He secured supplies, and began to expand our vinification capacity and the aging cellars in 2010.

The company's vineyards now total 6 estates that cover Burgundy from north to south.

Because our concerns and values ​​beyond extend the wine business, we support many different forms of culture.

Exploration and terroir, being its foremost ambassador, encourages us to participate in a variety of events that celebrate and showcase the written word.

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Having set sail in December 2020, the Tara Ocean Foundation's Microbiome Mission will travel 70,000 km over the course of two years to study marine microorganisms.

TARA OCEAN FOUNDATION
This first-of-its-kind mission is paired with a wine-aging experiment for Albert Bichot, an emblematic name in Burgundy wines and a partner-patron of the foundation.

Before joining the family business and taking over its management in 1996, this impassioned explorer had participated in several expeditions, notably in the Great Canadian North alongside the French adventurist Nicolas Vanier and on the borders of Adélie Land in Antarctica

Teaming up with the Tara Ocean Foundation is also an opportunity for Albert Bichot, whose wines have been certified organic since the 2018 vintage*, to join in on a collective adventure that promotes the protection of the environment and biodiversity.

Burgundian culture and heritage are important to us and we are keen on sharing and promoting them around the world. Burgundy is made up of 28,715 ha of vines and boasts 100 AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée). Its geographical location, at the crossroads of Mediterranean and continental influences, particular climatic conditions, the exposure and orientation of the vineyards, as well as its very unique soils and sub-soils, make it a most suitable place for the production of great wines.

Above all, it is home to Pinot Noir (34%) and Chardonnay (48%), two famous, internationally renowned grape varieties. Burgundy wines are all single varietal wines, which is rare and which gives them their special character along with their remarkable precision. A climat is a specifically delimited vineyard plot with particular geological and climatic conditions where human intervention is also strictly regulated. It is this mosaic (there are 1247 climats in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits) that yields such a wide variety of wines, each of which has its own organoleptic characteristics. This explains why a Pommard Premier Cru "Les Rugiens" is not the same as a Pommard Premier Cru "Les Chaponnières".

This cultural heritage was recognized as having outstanding universal value by UNESCO, which put Burgundy's climats on its World Heritage List on 4 July 2015.

As a major patron of the proposal, we were strongly involved in this collective adventure from the beginning and are thrilled about this decision that will showcase an incomparable 2000 year-old legacy and ensure that it is passed on to future generations.

We do all that we possibly can to protect our children's planet - respect for the terroir and for nature is essential for us.

We practice sustainable viticulture, based on observation, prevention and paying attention to the complex balances found in nature. The soil is maintained responsibly, it is judiciously plowed and fertilized using organic matter. We also encourage manual labor that boosts the plants' natural defenses. The dedicated teams at each of our estates know each terroir perfectly well and are very attentive to the development of the vines they oversee.

We follow up on our partner growers' plots with the same thoroughness as our own. Our approach serves as a benchmark for them. Working together over the long term allows us to set precise objectives to be reached, especially as far as the health of the grapes, yields and degree of ripeness at harvest time are concerned.

We intervene as little as possible during the vinification process. Aware of the richness of the legacy that has been passed on to us, we want our wines to be imbued with the terroir and the characteristics of the village they hail from. We are nevertheless eager to offer you expressive wines that bring a great deal of pleasure and emotion.

Our estates are located in each of Burgundy's major viticultural regions, each one has a winery and cellar where a dedicated team vinifies and ages our precious wines.

Our winery in the center of Beaune however, is devoted to regional appellations. It was entirely renovated in 2008 and uses the same working methods that function so well at our estates.

The same care is taken with the grapes grown in our plots as with those purchased from our partner growers. All of the wines that bear the Albert Bichot signature benefit from the same know-how and meticulousness.

The wine is carefully transferred from the vinification vats or barrels to the cellars by means of gravity. There it is allowed to mature in casks for 12 to 18 months.

It is during this key period, when time and expertise come together, that our wines truly acquire their body and reveal their personality and all of their potential.

Depending on the vintage, we use a combination of oak barrels of different origins (Tronçais, Allier, etc.) and of varying degrees of toast to achieve discreet yet complex nuances of oak that are always elegantly well-integrated.

Aging is the art of patience, tasting and respect for all the work that has already gone into the crafting of the wine.