THE WINE ADVOCATE 2019

THE WINE ADVOCATE 2019

William Kelley

Millésime 2019

Jean-Pierre Guyon has produced a thrilling range of 2019s, a vintage that ranks as his finest to date, and I can’t recommend them highly enough. Strikingly perfumed, sumptuous and seamless, with lively fruit tones, beautifully refined tannins and brilliant integration of oak (100% on which is new and derived from Tonnellerie Rousseau, which has developed a proprietary toast for the domaine), I’d be happy to have any of these cuvées in my cellar. In 2020, I’ll add by way of what awaits readers next year, Guyon stopped « rognage » in the vineyards, as well as vinifying several cuvées with what I’ll term « vendage entière decoupé, » which is to say, clusters cut up by hand, removing the rachis but retaining the pedicels (a process pioneered by Lalou Bize-Leroy and somewhat mischaracterized when it’s rendered as « manual destemming »). I tasted the full range of 2020s, just for curiosity, and they appear to be spectacular wines in the making.

As I’ve written before, Guyon is wont to recount how in the late 1980s and early 1990s he—along with many of his contemporaries—made heavily extracted, oaky wines, attempting to prove that Pinot Noir need not lack for color or structure. Today, by contrast, his ambition is to revert to what he considers the old-fashioned way of doing things: that’s to say, vinification with mostly whole clusters; no sulfur additions, if possible, until the spring following the harvest; a cuvaison of some 20 days; and gentle basket pressing. The consummation of this new approach, along with organic certification, dates to 2012.

Bourgogne Pinot Noir (88-90/100)

Aromas of wild berries, rose petals, orange peel, spices and plums introduce Guyon’s 2019 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied, bright and velvety wine that’s lively, charming and perfumed. This is a fine cuvée in the making and will be worth consideration.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Herbues (89-91+)

The 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Herbues opens in the glass with notes of cherries, raspberries and sweet spices, complemented by a perfumed top note of peony. Medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, its generous core of fruit is framed by lively acids and powdery tannins that gently assert themselves on the finish.

Chorey-Les-Beaune Les Bons Ores (90-92)

The 2019 Chorey-lès-Beaune Les Bons Ores is shaping up very nicely,unfurling with aromas of raspberries, sweet berries and plums complemented by hints of rose petals and spices. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it’s fleshy and charming, with fine depth at the core and a seamless, elegant profile. I can’t think of many wines from this appellation operating at this level.

Vosne-Romanée village (90-92) 

The 2019 Vosne-Romanée Village is lovely, mingling notions of rose petals, peonies, plums, smoked duck and Indian spices in a complex and perfumed bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and supple, it’s elegant and enveloping, with a pretty core of fruit, beautifully refined tannins and a precise finish.

Vosne-Romanée Les Charmes de Mazières (91-93)

The 2019 Vosne-Romanée Les Charmes de Mazières is very promising, unwinding in the glass with notes of exotic spices, orange oil, dark berries and wilted rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, it’s layered and concentrated, with lively acids and a more reserved profile than the regular Vosne-Romanée. As readers may remember, Guyon walks the old-vine parcels that produce this cuvée a day or two before harvest, selecting grapes by taste and marking which vines to pick and which to relegate to the regular Vosne-Romanée.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Argillats (90-92)

The 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Argillats is promising, wafting from the glass with scents of pear, white currants, toasted almonds and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lovely texture and structuring extract, it’s bright and vibrant, exemplifying the advantages of Pinot Blanc in a vintage of this kind.

Gevrey-Chambertin Les Platières (90-92)

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Platières is beautiful, bursting with aromas of peonies, raspberries, sweet wild berries, forest floor and cherries. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and charming, it’s lively and elegant, with a suave, polished profile and a perfumed finish.

Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru Les Peuillets (90-92)

Scents of raspberries, raw coca, plums, peonies, spices and potpourri preface the 2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er cru Les Peuillets, a medium to full-bodied, layered and elegantly enveloping wine that’s suave and concentrated, with powdery, youthfully chalky structuring tannins that Guyon intends to polish with a very light egg white fining.

Vosne-Romanée 1er cru Les Brûlées (93-95)

The 2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Brûlées is lovely, wafting from the glass with aromas of plums and raspberries mingled with blood orange, sweet spices, raw cocoa and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, deep and enveloping, it’s sumptuous and charming, with an ample core of lively, concentrated fruit, beautifully refined tannins and a long, perfumed finish.

Echezeaux Grand Cru (95-97)

The 2019 Echézeaux Grand Cru is brilliant, soaring from the glass with scents of exotic spices, wild berries, plums, rose petals, raw cocoa, peonies and blood orange. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it’s deep and complete, with supple tannins and a gourmand, enveloping core of fruit, concluding with a long and mouthwatering finish. This is the finest Echezeaux I’ve tasted from Guyon. 

Morey-Saint-Denis La Bidaude (88-90)

Aromas of crisp green orchard fruit, fresh mint and white flowers introduce the 2019 Morey-Saint-Denis La Bidaude, a cuvée produced fromChardonnay growing high above the Clos des Lambrays. Medium to full-bodied, round and enveloping, it’s fleshy but fresh, with a more sumptuous,giving profile than the Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Vosne-Romanée 1er cru En Orveaux (93-95)

The 2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru En Orveaux is striking, soaring from the glass with scents of dark berries, woodsmoke, rose petals and loamy soiltones. Medium to full-bodied, layered and sumptuous, with terrific depth and mid-palate amplitude, it’s seamless and elegant, with velvety tannins and a long, saline finish.

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru (94-96)

Opening in the glass with notes of sweet plums, warm spices, raw cocoa, loamy soil and wild berries, Guyon’s 2019 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with superb depth at the core, rich and powdery tannins and lively balancing acids. Long and resonant, this is a superb proposition for the long haul. This derives from an old-vine parcel just below the Château, next to Jean-Nicolas Méo’s holdings.