Found in Cruzille in the Mâconnais, Clos des Vignes du Maynes is now in the hands of Julien Guillot. This is a particularly old, Burgundy domain that dates back to the 10th century, more specifically to the time when Cluny Abbey was founded by the Duke of Aquitaine. The domain then belonged to many generations of country people until it was bought by Pierre and Jeanna Guillot in 1952. They have never used chemicals, always working as naturally as possible. After passing the torch on to their son Alain, who has played an important role in the promotion of organics in France, his son Julien who joined the domain in 1998 represents the third generation of the family to work at the domain. The vineyard spans 7 hectares planted with Pinot Noir, Gamay and Chardonnay. The harvests are carried out by hand with careful selection. In the winery, everything is done naturally with very little intervention: fermentation occurs with indigenous yeasts, and no sulphur or additives are used. The red wines undergo semi-carbonic maceration with a mini-punching over and light stirring. They are matured in barrels and there is no filtering at the end. Julien Guillot wishes to make ‘sharing wines' and he succeeds wonderfully with his high-quality and uncommonly elegant cuvées

Clos des Vignes du Maynes, a historic figure in the Mâcon winegrowing area with vines dating back to the early 10th century, successfully combines tradition and innovation. These days, Julien Guillot runs the estate, producing wines bursting with character such as this skin-contact white wine, also known as orange wine, called Maxcération (what a surprise!) made from only the most robust Chardonnay vine plants. The vines are tended with the greatest care, using natural products instead of chemicals such as weedkillers, insecticides and sulphur. The estate has in fact been converted to biodynamic viticulture.
In the winery, you’won't be surprised to learn that the production methods are low-interventionist. Fermentations are triggered by native yeasts, filtrations are light so as not to alter the character of the cuvée, and sulphur is added only sparingly. To be more specific, the Chardonnay was macerated for thirteen days. The juice was extracted each day before being blended. The wine was then aged in foudres (large capacity wooden tuns) for two years.
The dazzling colour reveals hints of white and stewed fruit, citrus zest and sweet spices. A fine minerality balances the fleshy texture, which in turn offers interesting possibilities for gastronomic pairings. Grilled poultry or poultry in sauce, squash, fatty fish and creamy cheeses are just some examples.