Julien Guillot Clos des Vignes du Maynes "Selection Massale" Mâcon Rouge, Burgundy, France 2023

FROM PERCY SELECTIONS:

THE WINE: As serious of a Gamay as they come—nearly 100 year old vines planted on limestone and offering layer after layer of beauty and complexity. This is not a simple, fruity Beaujolais, but rather something more meditated and mean for a nice decant and a long meal.

THE PRODUCER: One visit to Clos des Vignes du Maynes in southern Burgundy’s Mâconnais is all it takes to experience thousands of years of viticultural history. With remnants of an old Roman wall on the property, an 1100-year-old winemaking heritage dating back to the powerful medieval monks of Cluny, and nothing but selection massale to replant the vineyards (no clones), the Guillot family has every reason to believe that they are the oldest organically farmed winery in France. Julien Guillot is the contemporary steward of this land, worked by his family since 1954. That his grandfather was never seduced by the seemingly magical powers of chemical herbicides and pesticides at the height of their post-war popularity has allowed the Clos to be continuously run by nature’s good graces, abundant soil nutrients, and an ancient savoir faire passed down through generations of dutiful guardians.