The origins of Clos des Vignes du Maynes can be traced back to the year 910, the year Cluny Abbey was founded by the Duke of Aquitaine. First owned by the Lords of the Château de Cruzille, the estate was purchased by Pierre and Jeanne Guillot in 1952. The Clos has never seen chemicals and has always been tended with the greatest respect for the earth. From the very beginning, Pierre, Julian’s grandfather, chose to make organic wines without any use of chemicals, herbicides, insecticides or sulphur. His son Alain continued with the same philosophy and in 1998 was joined by Julien, who introduced the first biodynamic preparations. In 2001 Julien Guillot took responsibility for the estate and decided to convert the entire seven hectares to biodynamic agriculture. Facing directly east, the vines are greeted by the rising sun and benefit from a very specific type of limestone clay soil. With grassing over between the rows and low yields they produce a range of varietal wines of great authenticity: Pinot Noir, Gamay and Chardonnay. The grapes are picked by hand and no additives or SO2 are used in the entire process from picking to bottling. The winemaking is kept as natural as possible, using wild yeasts, no sulphur, no enzymes and no chemical inputs. The wooden vats are thoroughly cleaned beforehand, then scrubbed with marc de Bourgogne to stimulate yeast activity. The grapes are sorted meticulously and placed in small crates when they are picked to ensure that they are not damaged and that each cluster reaches the cellar in as perfect a condition as possible. For the red wines the grapes undergo semi-carbonic maceration, using a method that has been perfected over three generations, with successive layers of whole clusters and destemmed grapes creating a kind of ‘cake’. The red wines are then put into barrels or large wooden casks (no new wood), where they rest undisturbed until the following Easter. Racking is done on the waning and descending moon to ensure that the activity is as calm as possible, to avoid having to filter the wines. After that they are all blended and allowed to rest over a period of two full moons. The white wines are matured in large casks to preserve their freshness and CO2 levels. The aim is to avoid excessive oakiness in the wines, as this is not the desired profile. Julien Guillot’s wines are genuine terroir wines. Wines of rare poetry and authenticity, with incredible finesse and bewitching floral aromas. They are recognisable by their unique texture and silkiness, finishing on notes that reflect all the authenticity of the terroir. Wine & Hospitality Projects has the pleasure of being able to offer a superb range of wines from Clos des Vignes du Maynes. Wines that are pure, distinguished and complex, made by a man who is absolutely passionate about what he does, and works with great respect for the terroir. These are immense wines that are capable of mellowing for many long years in the cellar. In order to broaden the very limited range of estate wines, some wines are made from grapes purchased from other winegrowers who cultivate their vines organically. They are made in the Vignes du Maynes cellar and benefit from the same meticulous care as the estate wines. Where this is the case it is stated on the Product Sheet of the wine concerned.
