En Orveaux

This high vineyard is always full of tension and energy. Jean-Pierre has aged this in 100 percent new oak and its presence is not felt at all. There is a delicious floral top note and its altitudinous minerality is luminous, all the while retaining its intrinsic Guyon character. Drink 2022-2028.

Jean-Pierre Guyon tasted his berries on 8th September and was not impressed. He waited for the rain that weekend and was among the last to harvest on 15th September. He got lucky, but his assiduous vineyard work must also have helped the astonishing transformation. It’s an hugely impressive range, better than 2016 in  Jean-Pierre’s view, and certainly one of  the best addresses this year. He has smart new labels as well, with vin biologique proudly to the fore. There is more terroir definition this year, and Jean-Pierre will bottle a little earlier.

Sitting on the slope above the Echezeaux vineyard, this is a wine of finesse and energy. Rich and suave, but with an elegant, feminine edge, this is a masterclass in understated power. The style gives a nod to neighbouring Chambolle, a wine Jean-Pierre is keen to make. Drink 2024-2035. Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

This excellent domaine in Vosne-Romanée has flown under the radar – perhaps because Jean-Pierre Guyon spends so much of his time out in the vineyards, which have been farmed organically since 2006, certified from 2012. With his high-pedigree viticulture as a great starting point, Jean-Pierre can employ whole-bunch fermentation as the stalks are ripe, eschewing the use of sulphur at this stage, though some is added during élevage and at bottling to assure stability. Despite obvious frustration at the small volumes, Jean-Pierre Guyon is delighted with the quality of his 2016s. He describes it as a vintage of great Pinot Noir typicity, which will be greater than 2015, explaining that the wines' saline character will have you reaching for the next glass. As ever, the grapes here were picked a touch later than many estates to ensure the stems were fully ripe. He only bought six new barrels for the entire 2016 crop, so the proportion of new oak is reduced.

Brilliant pure purple, this is a dramatic, singing wine, with real lift and exuberance up front which then continues across the palate. Having intensity without undue weight, this has a beautiful aromatic profile of dark red fruits, and a lovely finish. Very impressive.

In the vineyard Sébastien has been moving towards an organic approach. In the cellar, while vinification remains broadly similar, much less new wood is being used during élévage: the village cuvées have been reduced to 50 percent and the crus to two thirds, with a slightly lighter toast being employed in the barrels. All the wines are so much more elegant with less new wood. The 2014 vintage is lovely here.

Rich full purple, this is too dark-fruited to be floral, but there is a whole wealth of different things going on. It’s really spicy with plump fruit, an intense core between black and red, dense raspberry, but also strikingly backward. Drink 2023-2035.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

It is not easy to get a tasting with Jean-Pierre Guyon as he likes to be out in the vineyards all day long (“I am the shepherd of my grapes”). His meticulous work in the vineyards enables him to work thereafter with ripe and healthy grapes which can be vinified without sulphur and entirely as whole bunches. The wines have been matured in less new wood than previously, although it’s still two thirds for the top cuvées. Jean-Pierre has also worked his whites to minimise their weight in this sunny year, fermenting in older barrels with no lees’ stirring.