.. a Super Cellar Suprise!

.. a Super Cellar Suprise!

June’s first tasting of the month down here was from Domaine Pierre Guillemot, ‘Willie’s Word!’, Savigny-lès-Beaune.

La Famille Guillemot are based in Savigny and the wines where all in tip top shape, from the 2023 vintage, though maybe a little over cellar temperatured. Nothing wrong with a bit of warming the wine in the glass a la Cognac style. A simple and gentle 60 second swirl can bring the wine to hand temperature and opens up all the flavours. Our host informed us that the domaine was founded in 1947 by Pierre Guillemot and then his son, Jean-Pierre took the reigns. Now the next generation are in charge, the two brothers Philippe & Vincent Guillemot.

Vincent’s wife family forest a 30 hectare plot in The Allier Forest, where they bespokely pick & fell the trees from both the Oak and Acacia tree to play with the mix. Genious! Le Allier is of course Le Forêt de Tronçais (10.600 hectares) located in the Allier department of central France. Some of the oaks tower to 40 metres tall and are still sort after for the top cooperages in Bordeaux, Cognac & Armagnac and in this case Burgundy.

The wines at Domaine P Guillemot are half de-stemmed and kept in barrel for up to 15 months (25-30% new wood). All then bottled the following February and ‘unfiltered’. Very attractive wines indeed and drinking well even at this young age.

The lovely suprise for me was at the end of the tasting, a white wine was poured from the domaine. A complex nose of white peach, honeysuckle and nectarine. And a wonderful balance of acidity and gingeryness on the finish. It turns out that the wine was a delicious 2023 Savigny ‘Dessus des Gollardes’ 2023. Philippe’s friend is the Riesling specialist Klaus Peter Keller and they blended together 30% Chardonnay and 70% Pinot Blanc, the material for the latter where purchased from Henri Gouges. To make this limited edition white they had to berry select, one by one, and I am not joking here, until they where really content with the quality. It took them all of one afternoon to complete the task. Now that’s dedication for you. I loved the wine a lot!

The Reds we tasted from Domaine Philippe Guillemot where as follows:

2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Gravains 1er Cru contains 40% whole bunch. There is plenty of concentration on the nose with blackberry and raspberry fruit, more floral in nature than the Serpentières. The palate is well-defined and focused, plenty of sappy red fruit with noticeable spine on the finish suggesting that it should mature well in bottle. Excellent.

2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Serpentières 1er Cru comes from two hectares of vines located in two parcels owned by the Domaine, a relatively large holding of 1.7 hectares. Perhaps this has the most delineation and finesse on the nose, quite mineral-driven with adequate fruit. The palate is silky-smooth on the entry, with very pliable tannins and a keen thread of acidity. Its commendable depth toward the finish makes it almost feel more like a Côte de Nuits. Very fine.

2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Narbantons 1er Cru has an elegant bouquet with perfumed red and blue fruit and already neatly integrated oak. The 2023 is quite floral in style, with a medium-bodied palate and very pliant tannins. This tender, well-balanced Savigny builds on the back end to exert gentle grip. I appreciate the understated mess of this Savigny, but with no shortfall in fruit.

2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru has another delicate yet paradoxically fruit-driven bouquet, finely delineated and cohesive with dark cherries and light wild strawberry scents. The palate is well balanced with more tannic backbone than the Narbantons, offering a little more density on the back end with a dash of black pepper on the aftertaste. Very fine.

Between these 4 reds by favourate wine was their 2023 Aux Gravains. I have just ordered some more….

– Monsieur Philippe in 1947 –