Domaine Guillot-Broux
Mâcon-Cruzille “Le Clos de la Mollepierre” 2019
Mâcon Cruzille
This is the Domaine’s newest terroir, and they believe it will be one of the best. When they bought this plot for less than 800€, it had been abandoned since the phylloxera crisis. The clos, surrounded by a dry stone wall nearly two meters high, was originally owned by the Abbey of Cluny. It took nearly ten years to get the land ready for planting: The soil had to be prepared and the vineyard adapted to tractor use, all while ensuring they kept the walls! The replant started in 2011 and in 2015 the vineyard produced the first vintage. It is already as mineral and complex as Les Perrières, and will no doubt be an exceptional wine in years to come.
Vineyard
The high planting density increases competition among the vines and means that the juice in each grape is more concentrated. The key is to have few grapes per vine naturally, to increase the concentration of flavors and the balance of the wine. The pruning methods employed (Guyot Simple for the whites; Cordon de Royat for the reds) also help reach this goal.
Winemaking
Each terroir is vinified separately, using the methods best adapted to the grape variety, the soil, the vintage and the age of the vines. Grapes are handpicked, and then sorted in the vines before going to the winery, allowing for selection of only the healthiest grapes with the right maturity. By controlling the yields, between 30 and 55 hectolitres a hectare, there is a strong emphasis for quality rather than quantity. The fruit is pressed immediately into oak barrels (288 liters), in order to avoid any changes in the nature of the wine. The juice undergoes first (alcoholic) and second (malolactic) fermentations in barrel, after which they are racked into barrels (single vineyard vines) or vats (Mâcon Villages). There are no additional yeasts, sulphites nor chaptalization techniques.
Food Pairing
La Mollepierre, at first seems to be full of almost wild enthusiasm, but then this slowly gives way to and endless source of mineral and fruity flavours. A magnetic resonance amplifies its depth with great lightness. Amazing! Christophe Pelé, from the 2-star Michelin restaurant Le Clarence in Paris, suggests raw sea bass, mozzarella and fried artichoke, with a sorrel sauce.
Color
White
Grape Varieties
Chardonnay
Appellation
Mâcon Cruzille
Farming
Domaine Guillot-Broux has been certified organic since 1991. Methods include ploughing, and use natural methods of fighting parasites (green manure, organic fertilizers, and mineral sprays with stable active molecules that leave no residues in the wines).
