This stunning Bourgogne Rouge will change your mind about the quality of red wines coming from the Mâconnais. Firstly, Domaine Guillot-Broux is clearly a talented and detail-oriented producer. They waited 18 years before making a wine from Les Genièvrières, a vineyard in Cruzille, a village not far from the Abbaye de Cluny, because they didn’t think the vines were old enough to produce high-quality wine! (Some wineries would label 18-year-old vines as “old vines”.) They have three plots in the vineyard, all of which are planted with Pinot Noir. The grapes from two plots with shallow soil bring structure to the wine, while the Pinot Noir planted on the third plot with thicker soil deliver fruitiness. The resulting mid-weight 2020 is a brilliant combination of firm minerality and haunting red fruitiness. I suspect it will develop even more complexity because of its balance, but it’s hard not to pop the cork now to enjoy with grilled salmon.
Domaine Guillot-Broux, Bourgogne Rouge (Burgundy, France) 2020
By Michael Apstein