Our tasting impressions
It's such pleasure to taste this wine after Guillaume's Haut Jarrons. The transparency of his wines allows you to appreciate the differences between these incredibly closely neighboring 1er Cru vineyards. As usual, Peuillets is a bit more masculine, with tannins that are somewhat more firm. It is no less fresh and has wonderful bright flavors. This is serious Savigny and despite the lighter vintage, don't be surprised if it ages forever.
About this wine
Les Peuillets is a 1er cru Pinot Noir vineyard in the southern section of Savigny - not far from Haut Jarrons. The soil in this area is more sand and pebbles so the wines tend to have more firmness and power than the crus to the north. Guiton’s southeast-facing plot, with vines as dating back to the 1940’s, is harvested by hand.
Fermentation takes 20 days with cold maceration, including pigéage (punching down the cap). The wine ages in oak barrels (20% new) for 18 months. A light filtration is done before bottling if necessary. About 2,900 bottles are produced annually.
About the grape
Pinot Noir is an ancient grape from eastern France. Notoriously challenging, it thrives in cooler climates. The concept of terroir is most closely identified with Burgundy because the lightness of Pinot Noir enables it to so transparently express minor differences (which is why experienced tasters can discern the difference in wines produced from vineyards in very close proximity). Intense popularity resulted in plantings all over the world but most agree that its finest expression is in the Côte d’Or of Burgundy.
About the vintage
2021 is pretty much a miracle vintage. The winter and most of March was on the cool side until the very end when temperatures soared. This accelerated plant development. So, when the Easter frost hit, the damage was extensive - Chardonnay was hit harder than Pinot Noir. The cold temperatures persisted, which adversely effected vine recovery. The climate stabilized in August and conscientious growers were able to harvest ripe grapes - albeit, a record low crop. But the Pinot Noir is classical, lower in alcohol, pure and concentrated.
Guillaume Guiton is a fiercely dedicated and extraordinary vigneron and a super nice guy. In the grand scheme of Burgundy, his vineyards would be considered modest...his wines, we consider, anything but.
He has been running this 11.5 hectare Domaine since 2002. His father Jean started it in 1973. Very much a hybrid estate, Guillaume owns 4ha, rents the rest and even buys grapes in his pursuit of the best he can get. He produces about 50,000 bottles per year.
He is a devoted terroirista, who welcomes the opportunity not to intervene in what nature offers. His methods vary based on vintage circumstances but he usually de-stems his red grapes and mostly avoids fining and filtration.
Guillaume is an intense student of barrels. He raises many wines in a variety of barrels before blending, only uses them for 6 years and never employs more than 20% new oak.
A 10% discount will be credited in your cart when purchasing at least 12 Pre-Arrival bottles from this producer.
