Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru "les Peuillets"

When Jean-Pierre Guyon began removing central bunch stems by hand at a 30-person sorting table — his proprietary 'en nuage' technique, developed from 2016 — he was solving a specific problem: how to retain whole-cluster aromatic lift without the green, resinous grip of unripe rachis. Les Peuillets, a south-facing Premier Cru on the northern edge of Savigny-lès-Beaune, is the terrain where that philosophy meets limestone-rich, iron-tinged clay soils that produce Pinot Noir of notable mineral tension and red-fruit precision.

Vinification follows Guyon's estate-wide protocol: indigenous yeast fermentation, 4–5 days cold pre-maceration, and a 25–28 day cuvaison in temperature-controlled stainless steel at 27–29°C — a long, gentle infusion rather than an extraction. Cap management is performed by hand using a custom watering can, a method borrowed from Dirk Niepoort, avoiding the oxidative stress of mechanical pump-over. Élevage runs 10–14 months in French oak (new barrels at Premier Cru tier), followed by 3–4 months in stainless steel before bottling unfined, unfiltered, with minimal SO₂, timed to the biodynamic lunar calendar.

What sets this apart: Guyon applies whole-cluster fermentation across his entire range — from Bourgogne Régionale to Grand Cru — a commitment made possible only because his massale-selected old vines ripen stems fully and consistently. The 2021 vintage, low-yielding and challenging across Burgundy, is documented by Berry Bros. & Rudd as a benchmark for the domaine's low-intervention style, producing wines of taut structure and concentrated terroir character that reward 3–6 years of cellaring.