Clos des Vignes du Maynes

Clos des Vignes du Maynes is located in the southwestern corner of Burgundy, only a few miles from the infamous slopes of the Cote d’Or, but worlds away from the moneyed domaines that populate the monocultural strip of landscape stretching from Chambertin to Montrachet. However, this is not a case of a young upstart natural winemaker disrupting the conventional tradition of the region. Rather, Julien Guillot, the current steward of the Clos, has mapped out an alternative history for his domaine, which carries on the illustrious traditions of ecological farming, ancestral herbal treatments and heritage clones developed through careful selection massale—not to mention the avoidance of lab yeasts and excessive sulfur treatments. Such practices, while now mostly extinct in the more famous houses of the region, were being practices as early as the year 910, when the monks of Cluny first wrote about what is now Clos des Vignes du Maynes. Following the stewardship of the monks, the domaine was owned by the seigneurs of the Chateau of Cruzille and thereafter belonged to a farming family for five generations before Juilen’s grandfather purchased the domaine in 1952. The oldest of their cellars was built 2000 years ago.

Julien joined the domaine in 1998 and taking the already “natural” practices of the vineyard further, began carrying out the first biodynamic trials. It was in 2001 he took over completely and converted the entire vineyard to biodynamic farming incorporating horn manure, silica and herbal infusions. In much the same way that the monks understood their physical labor as part of a broader spiritual process, so too does Julien see biodynamic agriculture as multidimensional approach to harnessing the mysterious cycle of the seasons in order to nurture the land and produce profound wines.

Whether the wines are made of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay or some combination of them all, it’s apparent that the effort put into the health of the soil is the driving force behind every wine. A special king of minerality that feels directly pulled from the earth infuses the dense, honeyed quality of the Chardonnay, just as much as it embellishes the aromatic delicacy of the Pinot Noir. Having tasted each of the wines over the past month, no matter the grape or the style, the best way to summarize them is an embodied sense of elegance. Julien makes truly beautiful wine.

~ Ari

Here is what we currently have in stock:

2019 Cuvée Auguste $57
From a 1950s selection of Pinot Fin, a rare local variety of Pinot Noir, with small berries, thin skins and a tendency to produce wines with extraordinary aromatics.

2019 Cuvee Manganite $57
From a 1950s selection of Gamay Petit Grain, Manganite takes its name from the manganese-rich limestone soils to which it is planted. A lifted Gamay with an iron backbone.

2018 Cuvee Aragonite $56
From 50- to 80-year-old vines, planted high up on the slope, Julien’s Chardonnay in 2018 is a total stunner, combining ripe fruit with a mineral acidity reminiscent of the Jura.

2020 Cuvée 910 $56
Julien's iconic red and white field blend, made to replicate wines crafted by Benedictine monks at the same site in the 10th century. This is the wine that launched a thousand “co-ferments,” and it is still the benchmark.