Guillot-Broux
Cruzille, Mâconnais
2017 Mâcon-Villages Blanc
This cuvée of Mâcon Villages comes from grapes bought in, then harvested and vinified by Guillot-Broux, working exclusively with grape growers who have organic certification or are in the process of converting to organic agriculture. The resulting wine is a true likeness of the domaine’s Mâcon Villages: with its fresh, mineral, and slightly citrus flavor, it gives an authentic Chardonnay from clayey limestone soils.
2016 Mâcon-Chardonnay ‘Les Combettes’
1.5 hectares of Chardonnay planted on clay limestone in the early 1990s. Aged 11 months in barrel. Despite the fact that the Les Combettes vineyard is adjacent to Les Geniévrières, the two wines produced are dramatically different. Les Combettes is very mineral, with a crispy bite. The wine is often more concentrated than Les Geniévrières, and it needs more time to come into its own. Due to it being slightly more south-facing, the grapes tend to reach greater maturity.
2016 Mâcon-Cruzille Blanc ‘Les Molières’
Comes from the ‘Les Moilères’ block in the village of Grevily, oriented south-west over red marl soil on a bedrock of thick limestone. The vineyard is unique to others belonging to the domaine, being planted with Chardonnay and Chardonnay Musqué vines in 1936. The Chardonnay Musqué lends an intensely aromatic and lifted bouquet. Aromas of yellow plum and gooseberries, accompanied by ripe, warm floral characters. On the palate these flavours make way for terroir expression – saline, chalky minerality which reflect the complexity of the vineyard soils. Ginger and pepper notes finish the mouthful to a long, drawn out finish.
2016 Mâcon-Cruzille Blanc ‘Clos de la Mollepierre’
The newest terroir of the domaine was originally owned by the Abbey of Cluny. Surrounded by a dry stone wall nearly two metres high, the site had been abandoned since the phylloxera crisis. After purchase it took nearly ten years to get the land ready for planting, producing the first vintage in 2015. It is already as mineral and complex as Les Perrières, and will no doubt be an exceptional wine in years to come. This is a big wine from the get-go, with an abundance of aromas entering the stage - honeydew melon, freshly cut straw, lemon honey notes and white asparagus. These flavours continue on the palate but also give ground to a strong mineral line carrying the balance. Light and refreshing, generous with flavours and beautifully balanced.
2016 Mâcon-Cruzille Rouge ‘Beaumont’
100% Gamay from vines over clay limestone soils of the Mâconnais. The wine sees 11 months in oak and the resulting ‘Beaumont’ is a fantastic flagship for the Guillot-Broux winery. The bouquet is packed with notes of red and purple fruits, juicy and fresh. The palate greets you with more fresh fruits and herbal notes of pepper and spice. This is a relatively high alcohol wine that is calling out for food – think roast lamb and fennel flavours to complement the fruit and pepper notes of this wine. It is just now entering its peak development time for drinking and will continue to grow and evolve in the bottle right up until 2026.
2001 Marc de Bourgogne
This is a spirit made from the distilling of the ‘marc’ – the skins, pips and stalks leftover from the red wine making process. The alcohol is matured for a minimum of fifteen years in small oak barrels before being bottled, resulting in a smooth, robust spirit. These are only ever made in limited quantities and are a rare find on the consumer market, so grab them while you still can!
2002 Fine de Bourgogne
Where the Marc de Bourgogne is made from red wine ‘marc’, the Fine de Bourgogne is made from the distillation of white wine lees. The result is a smoother alcohol, matured in oak for a minimum of fifteen years before bottling. This is a rare find as most winemakers clarify their wines, resulting in a much smaller quantity and lower quality of lees deposit. Sulphite additions during the process also interfere with spirit maturation as it clouds the alcohol during the distillation. Guillot Broux does not clarify his wines and uses very little sulphite in his process. The resulting lees are perfect for distillation, allowing for the development of a smooth, intense spirit.