Marvelous Macons from Vignes du Maynes and Guillemot-Michel!
6/14/25 -
We're happy to announce the arrival of a small new shipment from Julien Guillot at the Clos des Vignes du Maynes, along with more inventory from our friends Gautier Roussille and Sophie Michel at Guillemot-Michel - two estates that are superstars of Biodynamic farming and natural winemaking in the Macon!
Clos des Vignes du Maynes
Quantities are tiny from the Clos, with only one case of 2023 "Manganite" and 3 cases of the beautiful 2022 "Aragonite" and unfortunately, there was no "Cuvée 910" produced in the 2024 vintage. However, we received a good allocation of the insanely delicious 2022 Cremant de Bourgogne "Ste. Genevieve" along with the vibrant new Macon-Cruzille "La Baume," the new vintage of "Macon-Villages" and the always complex and indestructible Macon Rouge "Selection Massale!"
A bit of History from Julien: "The Clos des Vignes du Maynes was first recorded on cadastral maps by Burgundian monks. Its origin dates back to 910, the year Cluny Abbey was founded by the Duke of Aquitaine. The domaine was originally owned by the seigneurs of the Château of Cruzille, and then belonged to a farming family for five generations before being bought by Pierre and Jeanne Guillot in 1952. The vineyard has therefore never had any chemicals used on it and has always been farmed with the greatest respect for the earth. From the very outset, my grandfather decided to make wine organically, using no chemicals, herbicides, pesticides or sulphur. My father, Alain, later took over the domaine, keeping the same philosophy."
The Clos des Vignes du Maynes is a 7 hectare enclosure with a full east exposure is located in Cruzille (AOC Mâcon Cruzille), in Saône-et-Loire, 10 km southwest of Tournus. The landscape is polycultural, and teeming with wildlife, with forests increasing in size. the terroir is a Bathonian-type base (around twenty million years old, mid-Jurassic, end of the Mesozoic) in an area where rocks of different origins coexist, including two main ones: Middle Bathonian; oolitic limestones and entroques limestones and Upper Bathonian; Pholadomyes marls (marine fossils). The soil is made up of clay-limestone soil, and shallow at only 0.25 to 0.40m depth.
The winemaking: "Our winemaking is carried out as naturally as possible: with only native yeasts, without enzymes, without chemical inputs and with little or no filtration or sulfur. Our white wines are pressed directly. On our red wines, we carry out semi-carbonic maceration according to a well-defined method resulting from three generations of experience and refinement."
"We make joyful and friendly living wines for shared moments" says Julien Guillot and we couldn't agree more!
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Guillemot-Michel
The Mâconnais is home to numerous superb estates, many being pioneers of organic and Biodynamic farming - our favorites including Domaine de la Bongran, Domaine de Roally, Clos des Vignes du Maynes and Château des Rontets. Relatively unknown and rarely available in the US are the unique and magical wines of Domaine Guillemot-Michel in Clessé where the living soils and meticulous winemaking create vibrant Chardonnays that cellar beautifully for 20 to 30 years. Pierrette Michel took over the family domaine in 1982 with her husband Marc Guillemot, now succeeded by daughter Sophie and her husband Gautier Roussille. Certified Biodynamic in 1991, the estates 6.5 hectares are situated on degraded Jurassic-era limestones with thin clay soils. With relatively high yearly rainfall, the unique soils and very old vines (planted between 1920 and 1989) produce intensely mineral wines with firm acidities.
Guillemot-Michel is finally receiving some recognition in the US with recent excellent reviews from Neal Martin in Vinous - these superb Burgundies from the Maconnais, appellation Viré-Clessé, are truly "unique and magical," expressing not only the beautiful biodynamic farming and living soils but also the deep intelligence and commitment of the family in creating wines that are as pure and natural as possible.