Julien Guillot Bourgogne Cuvée Auguste 2022

Cuvée Auguste comes from Clos des Vignes du Mayne in Cruzille, a southern Burgundy estate the Guillot family acquired in 1952 and has farmed without chemicals, herbicides or added sulphur for five generations. From 2005 Julien Guillot took the seven-hectare property fully biodynamic. This is a Pinot Noir bottled as Bourgogne, grown on the clay-limestone soils of the Mâconnais. The cool nights of the slope preserve acidity and aromatic freshness, while the limestone lends the wine its mineral spine. Farming is biodynamic and the winemaking natural, with spontaneous fermentation on native yeasts and very little sulphur, so the wine tracks site and vintage rather than recipe. It ages 12 months in used French oak, which rounds the tannins through slow oxygen exchange without imposing wood character. At 13.5 per cent it is a riper expression than the estate's lighter cuvées. The colour is ruby. The nose shows ripe cherry, plum and red berries, with rose, liquorice and a savoury, earthy undertone. The palate is medium bodied, fresh and finely tannic, with a long, mineral finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees. It pairs with duck, roast meats and mushrooms.