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

Le Clos des Vignes du Mayne. Now here’s a name in the Mâcon appellation that’s getting a lot of attention. It has to be said that this estate inherited an age-old vine-growing tradition dating back to the 10th century. Today, it’s run by Julien Guillot who presents us with a surprising… Beaujolais cuvée! The wine is crafted from Gamay grapes grown in the Chénas cru by partner winegrowers committed to organic viticulture. The grapes, emblematic of the region, are hand-picked and then undergo a low-intervention vinification process in whole bunches. This includes semi-carbonic maceration, gentle pressing to extract the delicate flavours, and ageing in used casks. The wine was then racked and placed in enamelled vats to mature. Finally, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration, with a homeopathic dose of sulphur.
A wine for friends par excellence, it reveals a fine structure with smooth yet sufficiently present tannins affording it at least 5 years cellaring potential. This wine will also pair wonderfully with characterful dishes. Red berry, floral and sweet spice aromas add a seductive liveliness to the whole.