Thomas Pico
Thomas Pico of Domaine Pattes Loup works around ten hectares in the Chablis appellation, and is based in Courgis. Thomas spent most of his childhood in this small village in the Chablis area, surrounded by his father and grandfather, both winegrowers. He was soon drawn to vines and wine, and soon went on to complete a BTS in viticulture and oenology at the Beaune viticultural college. Very soon, organic growing became an obvious choice: for his own health, that of his family and friends, and to respect the environment. He has been certified since 2009.
Thomas Pico is gradually streamlining his winemaking processes. All the wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts on the lees and without sulphur. They are then matured either in vats or in barrels of various sizes. Thomas is convinced that ageing time is a decisive factor in wine quality, so from the 2018 vintage he has decided to extend the ageing period for his Chablis Villages as well as his Premiers Crus. The wines will be aged for a minimum of 30 months, and sometimes much longer.
Each visit to the estate impresses us a little more than the last, because Thomas is constantly challenging himself and developing his practices. During our last visit in the spring of 2023, we were able to see for ourselves the scope of Thomas's latest challenge: agroforestry. In an area of vines that is all too often, unfortunately, in the grip of chemicals, Thomas is replanting trees around the edges of his vines and in the rows.
Today, the wines of Domaine Pattes Loup are among the finest examples of natural Chablis wines.