#GDPandThePig
After a fabulous virtual tasting with Guillaume Guiton, son of Jean Guiton, I sat with these two wines for a few days to get a better sense of each.
Savigny les Beaune is an appellation in Burgundy's Cote de Beaune, so we're talking Pinot Noir here. Les Hauts Jarrons is a Premier Cru vineyard within Savigny. The whole of the appellation lies north of the town of Beaune, and flows south into the appellation of Beaune, followed by the more renowned Pommard and Volnay vineyards. The distance between the four is modest, several kilometers between them.
As is to be expected, the wine produced from Premier Cru vineyards delivers a more complex, richer wine than those coming from village vineyards. In the case of Guiton's wines this is due to a change in elevation, the Premier Cru vineyard lies higher on a slope, soil changes, and perhaps most importantly: availability of water for the vines. the village vineyards enjoy greater access to water, which allows for juicier grapes, producing less concentrated wines.
This might seem to be a disadvantage, but we should remember that every wine has its time, and sometimes a wine that is easy, fresh, and accessible is the preferred wine!
This pair of 2016s, a very fine classic vintage marred only by heavy crop losses due to early spring frosts, performed superbly over the course of three days, never losing freshness and remaining incredibly youthful and bright. The village Savigny was all about fruit, red berries and currants, a hint of fresh green herbs, with a fine mineral thread knit through it as I would expect from this wine. The acidity was bright and juicy, well balanced by the tannins, which were a bit more prominent than I had expected, but not at all intrusive. Already approachable, this is a Savigny to enjoy on the younger side while the fruit is so fresh and crisp. Of course the younger side is relative and for a wine of this quality I would consider the next 5-7 years to be the peak drinking window here. Not a complex wine but definitely intense, with such bright and vivid red fruits supported by that acidity, I couldn't help but think of a fine plank roasted piece of salmon as a wonderful accompaniment to this!
The Les Hauts Jarrons on the other hand was a more subtle wine, a bit softer, or at least with acidity that was better concealed by covering fruit density. The tannins here were more present, though riper lending additional weight to the palate. There is more detail here as well, deeper soil tones with fruit that hints at darker berry notes, blackberry and perhaps something akin to loganberry. There is some oak influence here as well. Both the village wine and the Premier Cru wines are aged in 228 liters barrels, small by Burgundy's standards, but only 15% new in the case of the village wine while this Premier Cru sees 20% new, enough to lend the wine a subtle spice note but not enough to become intrusive. Decidedly more elegant than the village wine this too exhibits the classic characteristics of Savigny, but it speaks of the finer terroir of the Premier Cru vineyards. This is entirely drinkable today but for my palate I would continue to cellar this for another 3 years before popping my next cork and enjoy the wine over the subsequent decade.
Both wines are available from my partners at VDLTwine.com along with additional selections from Guiton's portfolio.
After a fabulous virtual tasting with Guillaume Guiton, son of Jean Guiton, I sat with these two wines for a few days to get a better sense of each.
Savigny les Beaune is an appellation in Burgundy's Cote de Beaune, so we're talking Pinot Noir here. Les Hauts Jarrons is a Premier Cru vineyard within Savigny. The whole of the appellation lies north of the town of Beaune, and flows south into the appellation of Beaune, followed by the more renowned Pommard and Volnay vineyards. The distance between the four is modest, several kilometers between them.
As is to be expected, the wine produced from Premier Cru vineyards delivers a more complex, richer wine than those coming from village vineyards. In the case of Guiton's wines this is due to a change in elevation, the Premier Cru vineyard lies higher on a slope, soil changes, and perhaps most importantly: availability of water for the vines. the village vineyards enjoy greater access to water, which allows for juicier grapes, producing less concentrated wines.
This might seem to be a disadvantage, but we should remember that every wine has its time, and sometimes a wine that is easy, fresh, and accessible is the preferred wine!
This pair of 2016s, a very fine classic vintage marred only by heavy crop losses due to early spring frosts, performed superbly over the course of three days, never losing freshness and remaining incredibly youthful and bright. The village Savigny was all about fruit, red berries and currants, a hint of fresh green herbs, with a fine mineral thread knit through it as I would expect from this wine. The acidity was bright and juicy, well balanced by the tannins, which were a bit more prominent than I had expected, but not at all intrusive. Already approachable, this is a Savigny to enjoy on the younger side while the fruit is so fresh and crisp. Of course the younger side is relative and for a wine of this quality I would consider the next 5-7 years to be the peak drinking window here. Not a complex wine but definitely intense, with such bright and vivid red fruits supported by that acidity, I couldn't help but think of a fine plank roasted piece of salmon as a wonderful accompaniment to this!
The Les Hauts Jarrons on the other hand was a more subtle wine, a bit softer, or at least with acidity that was better concealed by covering fruit density. The tannins here were more present, though riper lending additional weight to the palate. There is more detail here as well, deeper soil tones with fruit that hints at darker berry notes, blackberry and perhaps something akin to loganberry. There is some oak influence here as well. Both the village wine and the Premier Cru wines are aged in 228 liters barrels, small by Burgundy's standards, but only 15% new in the case of the village wine while this Premier Cru sees 20% new, enough to lend the wine a subtle spice note but not enough to become intrusive. Decidedly more elegant than the village wine this too exhibits the classic characteristics of Savigny, but it speaks of the finer terroir of the Premier Cru vineyards. This is entirely drinkable today but for my palate I would continue to cellar this for another 3 years before popping my next cork and enjoy the wine over the subsequent decade.
Both wines are available from my partners at VDLTwine.com along with additional selections from Guiton's portfolio.
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