Pillot, who lost upwards of two-thirds of his Chardonnay in 2016, described the wines last year as “chiseled like the 2010s were at the beginning,” adding that they’re “not about largeness and shoulders.” Now that the wines are finished, he considers them to be more acid than the ‘17s, as the younger crop of wines possesses more enveloping gras. He also believes that their citrus zest acidity will hold the '16s for a long time. Pillot barely made any Chassagne-Montrachet Chenevottes or Vergers in 2016, but his top cuvées were impressive at the end of May.

"Jean-Marc Pillot noted that 2016 was "indisputably complicated with one of the more difficult growing seasons in a long time. . . The lousy conditions lasted just to the 14th of July, where we then had a hail storm but thereafter just to the harvest, conditions were essentially perfect if perhaps just a bit too dry . . . We chose to begin picking on the 22nd of September with our whites and at least the fruit, both pinot and chardonnay, was spotless with excellent ripeness levels. Less positively were the yields and I would put our total losses at -70% as the only vineyard that escaped damage was in Puligny. I really like the style of the 2016s and . . . it's much better than I dared hope for."