I bought a Remi Jobard Passetoutgrains last night. The back label indicates the Passetoutgrains designation.
A separate importers label (Weygandt) on the back states ‘100% Pinot’.
The CT entry indicates the wine is ‘Bourgogne Passetoutgrains’.
I thought by definition Passetoutgrains had to contain some gamay.
Is it possible to have a non-blend passetoutgrains?
Scott…you answered your question yourself.
Bourgonge Passetougrains is a blend.
For example a Gervey-Chambertin village wine ( under the AOC laws ) is also a blend because it is allowed to include up to a certain % ( I believe maybe 10% but maybe I am wrong ) of other type of grapes as long as they are from Pinot family.
So…the producer may bottled a 100% pinot noir Gervey-Chambertin village wine.
\
HistoryThe Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains became a regional AOC on 31 July 1937.
[edit] Region of productionBourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains is allowed to be produced in the entire area which can use the basic Bourgogne appellation.[1] This means 91 communes from the department of Côte d’Or, 85 communes of Rhône (not to be confused with the wine region Rhône), 154 communes of Saône et Loire region and 54 communes of Yonne.
Since Côte d’Or and Yonne have very little Gamay, most Passe-Tout-Grains are produced from grapes grown in Saône et Loire (essentially the Côte Chalonnaise subregion of Burgundy), where Gamay makes up almost half of the red grapes.[2]
[edit] Grape varietiesBourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains must contain at least one third Pinot varieties, with the rest Gamay. Pinot primarily means Pinot Noir, but Pinot Liébault (which may either be considered as a clone of Pinot Noir or as a separate variety) is also allowed. Furthermore, it is allowed to blend in up to 15% of the white varieties Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.[1]
Since Passe-Tout-Grains is generally a simple, rather cheap wine, and the lower market price of Gamay grapes in comparison to the much sought-after Pinot Noir, most Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains will contain the maximum proportion of Gamay allowed under the AOC rules, two thirds. *****
Sounds like the importer label is in error…
In order to say the importer label is in error, one must examine closely the legal text of the AOC "The Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains " as it is regional AOC since on 31 July 1937.
My belief ( = guess ) the basic grape-type is pinot-noir which must be at least 33% ( = one third )…and the producer may include…( and not …MUST INCLUDE… )…the rest with GAMAY.
must contain at least one third Pinot varieties, with the rest Gamay. Pinot primarily means Pinot Noir, but Pinot Liébault (which may either be considered as a clone of Pinot Noir or as a separate variety) is also allowed. Furthermore, it is allowed to blend in up to 15% of the white varieties Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
Why not label this as Bourgogne if it is 100% pinot? This has to be a label error. There is no advantage to Jobard of bottling a Passetoutgrains that is 100% pinot. Is there?
Burgundy is crazy sometimes.
With Robard being predominantly a white producer, could they be blending in Chard or Aligote? Wouldn’t that eliminate it from Bourgogne status?
RT
Passetoutgrains can perfectly well be 100% pinot noir, as I believe is that of D. Laurent. Chevillon’s appears to be 100% gamay, which I don’t think is really allowed.
This means 91 communes from the department of Côte d’Or, 85 communes of Rhône (not to be confused with the wine region Rhône), 154 communes of Saône et Loire region and 54 communes of Yonne.
Let assume the importer label is correct; then maybe …some of the pinot-noir juice are from the above areas which are NOT ( repeat : NOT ) entitle to be labeb under the offical AOC : BOURGOGNE.
For example : juice of Pinot-Noir from the the 54 communes of Yonne…are they allowed to be label under the AOC : “Bourgogne” ?
I do not know the answer to my above question. The only way to know is : to examine the text of the AOC Bourgogne and compare it with the text of AOC "The Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains "
Don’t forget most of the Burgophiles on this Board…seldom drink wines from lowly wines from 23 Regional AOC in Burgundy.
There is no advantage to Jobard of bottling a Passetoutgrains that is 100% pinot. Is there?
Would you like to drink a wine which is 100 pinot-noir or a wine which is 50% pinot noir and blend with 50% Gamay ? 
Thanks for the replies.
I typically don’t buy passetoutgrains any more. Every time I open one I wind up wishing I had a cru beau or pinot instead.
This label was a curiosity so I thought I’d give it a try.
Richard…“Bourgogne” has a AOC statue as regional wine and so is AOC " The Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains ". They are two different AOCs of which there are officially 100 of them in the whole Kingdom of Burgundy ( which include Chablis ).
In order to answer your specific question…one needs to look at the official text of AOC Bourgogne.
This is crazy stuff.
Peter. You make some interesting points.
Tom. So I guess Laurent’s wine comes from an area that cannot have Bourgogne rouge as an AOC?
Also crazy to me. I thought I was beginning to understand Burgundy.
Scott…here is what Krama said : do not limited yourself to a few plots of famous land ( in Burgundy ).
There are some beautiful ( lowly red ) Burgundy available for your to explore, sepcially in vintage year like 2005 and in the forth-coming vintage year 2009.
That being said …passetoutgrains ( like its name implies ) may have too much juice from other grapes beside Pinot Noir.
Don…as usual…you are being humble. You are one of Burgophiles which I love to hear your opininn and liston to because your understand Burgundy as well as anyone on the board.
I know sometings about the 23 regional wines in Burgundy because I hang around a lots with friends who are in the wine trades in Quebec.
Completely off-topic, but what is the meaning of the word “Passetoutgrains”?
I ask because the white dessert-wine grape, which is used in e.g. “Moscato d’Asti”, is generally known to nurserymen as “Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains”:
Varieties of Muscat Grapes
[u]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscat_(grape_and_wine)#Varieties_of_Muscat_Grapes[/u]
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Does the word “grains” have something to do with “berries”?
“Passetoutgrains” = “made from [out of] all berries”?
“Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains” = “white muscat of small berries?”
Tom, what makes you say that Chevillon’s is all gamay?
I’m pretty sure it isn’t generally, though its percentage is high, i think i remember.
In 2001, on a trip with my wine friends, we were at a simple restaurant in Nuits enjoying some Chevillon Passetousgrains with our boeuf bourgignon. A couple of tables away Robert Chevillon was dining with his wife and another couple. Our next visit was to his estate, but I didn’t realize that he had retired that year.
Anyway, we sent over a glass of the passetousgrains and asked the waiter to tell him to have some “real” wine. He made lots of noise chuckling about how what he was drinking was much better. We all had a good laugh.
When I got to the estate and told Bertrand that I hadn’t realized his father had retired and asked him how he and Denis were adapting to their father’s retirement, he “sentimentally” responded: “everyone gets a turn…now it’s ours”. I never have quite figured out what he was trying to say-- if anything. Some retirees hang around anyway…but I’ve never seen Robert at the winery since, though I’ve seen Mrs. Cheveillon.
I remember being surprised on tasting the 05, Stuart, then being told that it was all Gamay which certainly chimed with what I was tasting. I’m trying to remember my source but I can’t, which is why I wouldn’t make a definitive statement. Don, it’s legal though unusual to have 100% pinot in PTG. I think Laurent uses it to denominate his least aspirational Bourgogne-it’s delicious stuff indeed.
http://www.domainerobertchevillon.fr/nuits-saint-georges-wines/bourgogne-passetoutgrain-wine.html
According to what seems to be their website, Tom, it is 1/3 pinot noir-- at least generally.