Domaine Jean Michel Guillon 2013

• A new exciting find for us, Jean Michel Guillon is a passionate winemaker who takes Rousseau, Dugat-Py and Denis Bachelet as his inspiration to make rich, impressive Burgundies; these are highly accomplished, succulent Burgundies which, to quote Allen Meadows "retain a clear sense of style and grace and remain identifiably pinot noir"

• We at Albany will be stocking our private cellars with the Pere Galland, the cuvee named after the man who helped Jean-Michel learn his trade. A fantastic wine with lots of dense red fruit, notes of minerals, silky balanced and drinking beautifully now but with another 8-10 years drinking.  Incredible value!
• The Marsannay Clos des Portes is old vine Pinot Noir with more in common with 1er Cru Gevrey Chambertin than nearby Marsannay. Jean-Michel purchased this "monopole" (he owns the entire cru) in 2005; we were really impressed by the concentration, vivid berry fruit and supple tannins. 
• There is more volume and concentration to the Gevrey Vieilles Vignes than the Pere Galland; packed with rich cherry fruit, great structure and complexity, this is currently quite backward; a Gevrey for the long term. 
• The richly fruited Gevrey 1er Cru Champonnets has wonderful lift and class, great minerality and intense fruit & spice 
• Finally the Grand Cru Clos Vougeot from a small (0.17 hectare) parcel of 40+ year old vines, highlighted by Jancis Robinson MW as the best value 2013 Clos de Vougeot in a blind tasting of 33 from the vintage.

"Moderate wood influence frames the fresh and ripe aromas of cassis, plum, earth and a hint of animale. The earth character continues onto the textured medium-bodied flavors that also display a touch of minerality on the solidly complex and persistent finish where the wood telegraphed by the nose reappears. This mildly oaky effort should also drink well young if desired"

Burghound 88-90 pts

"Soft but not invisible wood and menthol nuances intertwine with the very ripe essence of black currant, cassis and warm earth nuances. Consistent with the nose, the succulent and seductively textured flavors are notably ripe and blessed with an impressive amount of dry extract that push the moderately firm tannic spine to the background on the ever-so-mildly rustic finish. This is really more Vosne than Gevrey in style but it does deliver very fine quality"

Burghound 89-91 pts

 "In contrast to the Cuvée Galland this displays buckets of classic Gevrey character with its beautifully complex aromas of game, underbrush, pungent earth and that telltale sauvage quality on the assorted dark berry fruit scents. There is excellent volume and mid-palate concentration to the middle weight plus flavors that possess equally good complexity on the extract-rich, powerful and beautifully well-balanced finish. This is an old school Gevrey villages that will require plenty of patience but if you have it then this is a terrific choice. Highly recommended for the patient" 

Burghound 89-92 pts

"A background touch of wood is sufficiently subtle that it allows the spicy yet sauvage aromas of plum, cassis and warm earth to shine. There is a good sense of underlying tension to the delicious and textured middle weight flavors that exude a fine bead of minerality to the robust yet relatively refined finish that displays a cool salinity. This will need only a few years of bottle age to be approachable yet reward 7 to 10."

Burghound 90-92 pts

"This is one of the ripest wines in the range as the mocha-scented nose displays notes of cassis and black raspberry liqueur notes along with spice, earth and floral wisps. There is good minerality and plenty of earth and sauvage characters on the intense and punch medium-bodied flavors that culminate in a clean and dry (in the best sense) finale that is notably austere at present. I like the depth and balance though note that this muscular effort will definitely require extended cellaring to arrive at its full potential"

Burghound 90-93 pts

"This is also very ripe with plenty of wood influence on the menthol, oak spice, cassis and intensely earth-scented nose. This is a powerful example of the appellation with excellent mid-palate concentration to the well-detailed and highly energetic broad-shouldered flavors that deliver outstanding persistence on the muscular finale. This really does a slow build from the mid-palate and note that here too plenty of patience will be required as this is clearly built for the long-term"

Burghound 92-94 pts