A magnum of Champagne Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2012 is poured as guests take their seats in the private dining room of Restaurant Spectrum in Amsterdam. Around the table sit Christophe and Marit Perrot-Minot of Domaine Perrot-Minot, Dutch importer Koen van der Plas of SOMMTIMES, and a small group of guests. Outside, the canals of Amsterdam reflect the soft afternoon light. Inside, a lineup of Burgundy’s most refined Pinot Noirs waits to be explored.
What follows is more than a winemaker lunch. Over the course of two days – beginning with a focused tasting at Restaurant Ciel Bleu in Hotel Okura and continuing at Restaurant Spectrum – Christophe Perrot-Minot offered a rare window into the philosophy behind one of Burgundy’s most meticulous domaines.
The wines speak softly, but with remarkable clarity.
Domaine Perrot-Minot is based in the village of Morey-Saint-Denis, in the very center of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. The estate traces its roots back to the nineteenth century when Christophe’s great-grandfather Amédée Merle began assembling vineyards across the region.
Today the domaine cultivates approximately 8 hectares spread across several of the Côte de Nuits’ most prestigious villages, including Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges. The portfolio spans village wines, Premier Crus and an impressive collection of Grand Crus such as Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze.
Yet prestige is not what defines the estate.
When Christophe Perrot-Minot took over the domaine in 1993 at just 26 years old, Burgundy was still emerging from an era where yield and production often dictated decisions. Christophe chose a different path.
From the beginning, his philosophy has been clear: quality over quantity.
Lower yields, stricter vineyard selection and a relentless pursuit of balance have gradually elevated Domaine Perrot-Minot into the top echelon of Côte de Nuits producers.
Understanding Christophe himself helps explain the wines.
Before returning to Burgundy, he briefly studied fashion and styling in Paris. While the career path changed, the mindset remained. Precision, balance and aesthetic harmony – concepts essential in design – are equally visible in his approach to winemaking.
Christophe often speaks about wine in terms of finesse and elegance, rejecting the idea that Burgundy should be defined by power alone.
If he had to summarise the style of his wines in three words, they would be:
Fineness, elegance and digestibility.
These are not marketing slogans. They are the guiding principles behind every decision in the vineyard and cellar.
A defining feature of Domaine Perrot-Minot is the remarkable age of many of its vineyards. Parcels across the estate contain vines between sixty and over one hundred years old.
Old vines naturally produce smaller yields, but their fruit often possesses greater concentration and complexity. With deeper root systems, the vines access a broader expression of the underlying soils, translating more clearly into the wine.
This philosophy finds its most distinctive expression in the domaine’s “Ultra” cuvées, produced from exceptional old-vine parcels.
Among them is Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru La Combe d’Orveau “Ultra”, sourced from vines more than seventy years old located directly beside Musigny Grand Cru. Christophe often describes the wine with a smile as a “Petit Musigny.”
Another comes from Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru La Richemone “Ultra”, where vines planted in 1902 produce wines of remarkable concentration and depth.
In these vineyards, time becomes an essential ingredient.
If the vineyards provide the raw material, Christophe’s meticulous work ensures its purity is preserved.
The estate farms organically and follows biodynamic principles, with vineyard work partially guided by lunar cycles. Harvest is carried out entirely by hand, and grape selection occurs in multiple stages.
First, pickers sort fruit in the vineyard. At the winery the grapes pass over manual sorting tables before entering an optical sorting machine, allowing Christophe to remove damaged berries with extraordinary precision.
Climate change has made this step increasingly essential. Heat waves, sunburn and uneven ripening mean that grapes within the same cluster may vary significantly in quality.
Only the best fruit proceeds to fermentation.
Extraction is deliberately gentle. Rather than aggressive punch-downs, Christophe relies primarily on pump-overs, gradually extracting colour and structure while avoiding harsh tannins.
The aim is not power, but balance.
Among the most intriguing elements of the Perrot-Minot cellar is the use of glass fermentation vessels known as “Wine Globes.”
Unlike traditional oak barrels, the glass vessels are completely neutral, imparting no flavour to the wine. Their purpose is to preserve the purest expression of fruit and terroir.
Part of each vintage may mature in these globes alongside wines aged in oak barrels. When the final blend is assembled, the glass-aged portion contributes remarkable clarity and freshness.
Christophe even experiments with long-term aging in these vessels. A small portion of wine from each vintage is stored in a wine globe for up to ten years, sealed from oxygen, before being bottled later.
The result, he believes, is a wine with extraordinary silkiness and aromatic precision.
Like all Burgundy producers, Domaine Perrot-Minot must increasingly adapt to the realities of climate change.
Recent vintages have seen intense heat waves, sudden storms and significant frost events. The 2021 vintage, for example, saw devastating spring frost across Burgundy, drastically reducing yields.
Yet these challenges have reinforced Christophe’s philosophy rather than altering it.
In warmer years the focus remains on preserving freshness and balance. In difficult years strict sorting ensures that only the best fruit reaches the winery.
Precision has become the winemaker’s most valuable tool.
The first encounter with the wines in Amsterdam took place at Restaurant Ciel Bleu, the two-Michelin-star restaurant on the 23rd floor of Hotel Okura. Together with the restaurant’s sommelier team, Christophe and Marit guided a focused tasting through several wines from the domaine.
The progression from Bourgogne Rouge to Grand Cru demonstrated the remarkable consistency of Christophe’s philosophy across the entire range.
2022 Bourgogne Rouge “La Gouzotte” | (Les Graviers & Les Chaponnieres – Morey-Saint-Denis) | DWA Score: 91/100
Bright aromas of red cherry and wild raspberry lead into a vibrant palate with lively acidity and refined tannins. Remarkably precise for a regional appellation, the wine already hints at the elegance that defines the domaine.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin “Jubilé 30 Ans” | (La Justice & Les Seuvrées) | DWA Score: 92/100
Dark berries, violets and subtle spice emerge from the glass. The palate balances structure with elegance, supported by fine tannins and impressive length.
2022 Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru “La Riotte” | DWA Score: 93/100
Red fruit and floral aromatics combine with a subtle mineral edge. The wine shows energy and precision, finishing with elegant structure.
2022 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru | DWA Score: 96/100
A layered and expressive Grand Cru, revealing ripe black fruit, violets and forest floor. Silky tannins support remarkable depth and a persistent finish.
If the tasting at Ciel Bleu focused on technical understanding, the following day’s lunch at Restaurant Spectrum revealed the wines in a more emotional and sensory setting.
Spectrum, located within the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, is the two-Michelin-star restaurant of Chef Sidney Schutte. Schutte’s cuisine combines classical French technique with global influences, creating dishes that are both technically impressive and visually striking.
The wine program, led by Maître Sommelier Cas Kratz, plays an essential role in shaping the experience. Kratz has built one of the Netherlands’ most dynamic wine lists, balancing iconic producers with emerging discoveries.
For this lunch, the team created pairings that allowed each wine to reveal different aspects of its character.
The afternoon began with Champagne Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Brut 2012 (Magnum), whose floral elegance and creamy texture set the tone for the Burgundy wines to follow.
1st Course: Black Truffle | Kabocha Cream | Apricot Pit | Truffle Milk
The earthy intensity of black truffle and the richness of kabocha cream created an ideal pairing for two village wines.
2022 Vosne-Romanée “Jubilé 30 Ans” — 93/100 DWA score
Rose petals, red cherries and delicate spice define this elegant Vosne-Romanée. Silky tannins and vibrant acidity mirror the dish’s refined texture.
2022 Chambolle-Musigny “Jubilé 30 Ans” — 93/100 DWA score
Violets, wild berries and mineral freshness give this Chambolle remarkable finesse. Its graceful structure complemented the truffle-driven dish beautifully.
2nd Course: Langoustine | Lion’s Mane Mushroom | Cacao | Chipotle | Kaffir
Chef Schutte’s langoustine dish balanced sweetness, spice and earthy complexity.
2021 Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru “La Riotte” — 94/100 DWA score
The wine’s vibrant acidity and red-fruit purity paired seamlessly with the langoustine, while the cacao and chipotle elements highlighted the wine’s layered structure.
3rd Course: Sweetbread | Eel | Caviar | Fig Leaf | Passionfruit
Perhaps the most intriguing pairing of the lunch. The richness of sweetbread and eel, combined with the saline lift of caviar, created a luxurious platform for the Ultra cuvées.
2022 Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru “La Richemone Ultra” — 95/100 DWA score
Dark fruit, spice and refined tannins deliver impressive depth while maintaining remarkable elegance.
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru “La Richemone Ultra” — 96/100 DWA score
With bottle age, the 2017 reveals layers of forest floor, dried flowers and spice, creating one of the most complex wines of the afternoon.
4th Course: Duck | Zucchini | Tulip Bulb | Pomegranate | Black Olive
The final dish showcased the harmony between Burgundy Pinot Noir and fine gastronomy.
2021 Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru — 98/100 DWA score
Christophe’s favorite Grand Cru combines aromatic intensity with extraordinary finesse. Black cherries, violets and subtle spice unfold across a beautifully balanced palate.
2015 Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru (Magnum) — 98/100
The warmer 2015 vintage shows a richer interpretation of the vineyard, with ripe black fruit and silky tannins delivering impressive depth.
Despite the prestige and rarity of many Perrot-Minot wines, Christophe remains refreshingly clear about their purpose.
Wine, he insists, should not disappear into private collections or investment portfolios.
Wine should be opened.
Wine should be shared.
The best place for his wines, he says, is a place where they will be drunk.
Over the course of two days in Amsterdam, the wines of Domaine Perrot-Minot revealed a consistent identity built on precision, patience and deep respect for terroir.
From Bourgogne Rouge to Grand Cru Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze, the same philosophy guided every bottle: meticulous vineyard work, careful selection and a winemaking approach that prioritizes balance over power.
Christophe Perrot-Minot has not reinvented Burgundy. Instead, he has refined it – removing excess, focusing on detail and allowing each vineyard to express itself with clarity.
The result is Pinot Noir of remarkable elegance: wines that do not shout, but reveal their complexity slowly and beautifully.
Our sincere thanks go to Christophe and Marit Perrot-Minot for their generosity and openness during these inspiring days in Amsterdam. We would also like to thank Koen van der Plas and the SOMMTIMES team for organizing the visit, as well as the teams at Restaurant Ciel Bleu and Restaurant Spectrum – particularly Chef Sidney Schutte and Maître Sommelier Cas Kratz – for creating such memorable settings in which to experience these exceptional wines. Picture credits Max van Bockel (MVB Foto).
The lunch at Spectrum also marked the end of an era within the Waldorf Astoria hotel. We are very grateful we still had the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent work of the team one more time.
For those who seek Burgundy defined by finesse rather than force, Domaine Perrot-Minot remains one of the most compelling voices of the Côte de Nuits. The wines of Perrot-Minot are available for professionals and consumers through SOMMTIMES.
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