Julien Guillot Macon Cruzille Manganite 2019

“The finest rendition of this cuvée that I have ever tasted, Guillot’s 2019 Mâcon-Cruzille Manganite unwinds in the glass with a captivating bouquet of peonies, wild berries, exotic spices, plums and wilted rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s bright and vibrant, with velvety tannins—but it’s the wine’s youthful energy and purity of fruit that set it apart from previous iterations. Drink: 2021-2041. 96 points

In a sense, a visit to Julien Guillot’s Domaine des Vignes du Maynes is like stepping back in time. Farmed organically since the Second World War, these vineyards have never seen pesticides or herbicides. The Guillot family also never planted clonal selections of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay, preferring to keep the lower yielding local selections that have since died out elsewhere. Even the estate’s cellars are constructed on the ruins of a Roman villa. Yet for all the weight of history here, Domaine des Vignes du Maynes is also decidedly innovative. Guillot is a pioneer of biodynamics in Southern Burgundy: when he made the shift in 1998, his neighbors referred to his endeavors as “les conneries de Guillot”—”Guillot’s bullshit.” He vinifies with little or no sulfur dioxide. And he’s a darling of the so-called natural wine movement, his wines coveted by Parisian cavistes and East Coast sommeliers alike. They merit all the attention, because Guillot is far from a follower of fashion: wander through the vineyards of Cruzille in springtime, and the chances are you’ll run into him on a tractor. Complex and textural, the whites are exotic examples of white Burgundy that will surprise anyone habituated to aseptic, sterile commercial Mâcon. And the reds are superb: satiny and perfumed expressions of Pinot Noir and Gamay that disappear dangerously rapidly. This is an iconic estate in the Mâconnais, and readers shouldn’t hesitate to experience these singular wines for themselves.”

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (08/21)