Our tasting impressions
Such a bright, racy and ripe Pinot. It seems sleeker than the 2022 but it’s packed with amazingly delicious red fruit. The tannins are so smooth, they’re barely noticeable. We could drink this 8 times per week and never tire of it. Life's simple pleasures are the best.
About this wine
Bourgogne is the broadest appellation in Burgundy. Grapes can come from anywhere within the region including declassified 1er or Grand Cru.
This one is produced from Pinot Noir vines in Pommard and Bligny-Les-Beaune. Half are 25 years old and the rest 50-60 years in clay & limestone soil. Grapes are mechanically harvested.
Cold maceration is done over three to four days. Barrel fermentation lasts 15 days with pigéage. Aging is 12 months in old oak barrels. Production is about 20,000 bottles.
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
2023 was the most abundant crop since the legendary 1999. Fluctuating spring temperatures delayed bud break until after the frost threats. Otherwise, the prevailing condition was heat - lots of it! Producers who care more about quality than quantity, did green harvest and we able to achieve concentrated wines. So, in such hands, 2023 is again like 1999 - combining lots of super wine.
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. He is always in the vineyards, farming in an organic manner. 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.
