Jean-Pierre Guyon is a man of action and change, and with the 2023 and 2024 vintages, new leaps have been taken to ensure further progress.
First, Guyon started using oaks with a very light toast and was looking to decrease the use of sulphur, and then, he began a version of Baie-par-Baie destemming that he called “tri en nuage”.
Now, he has taken the elevage further and implemented a second year of elevage in ceramic barrels (the Italian Clayver).
The 2024s in the glass are quite stunning – more about this below – again, indicating that the constant improvements made by Guyon are giving some tremendous results … even in 2024.
The “tri en nuage”
First, Guyon started by hand-destemming each berry almost one by one – or a variation thereof – is a technique being tested and implemented more frequently by Burgundian winemakers.
Jean-Pierre Guyon is using a technique, which he calls “tri en nuage” (cloud sorting) – a change that was nearly fully implemented since the estate’s 2020 production.
The different names and methods for this technique are somewhat confusing. I try to use the names that I know, and the ones used by the vigneron in question. This is not a competition that I can judge; may the best wines win!
The actual destemming isn’t identical at all domaines either; there are large variations in the share of hand-destemmed berries among the individual cuvées. Guyon takes off the main and middle stems of the cluster, while others leave only the pedicels (the tiny stems that hold the individual grapes).
Furthermore, there are vinification differences among the estates, so there is wide latitude among the interpretations of the technique.
Guyon the estate
Jean-Pierre Guyon runs a medium-sized domaine in Vosne, located on the D974. The estate has been organically certified since 2012, and Jean-Pierre is clearly both an inventive and a thoughtful vigneron.
To manage this process, we take pains to accompany the grapes, intervening as little as possible in their transformation into wine.
In tank after tank, the bunches of grapes are piled up carefully, because we work with 100% whole bunches and without the addition of sulphur. The grapes we work with are healthy, wholesome, and alive. We prepare a pied de cuve (starter) from each plot to start the alcoholic fermentation off rapidly.”
Starting out around the 2022 vintage, the destemming began to cover the full range, and Jean-Pierre Guyon produced a stunning range of 2022s, a vintage that supports the estate style well.
In 2023, he implemented a new level of elevage – the first year is the traditional Guyon elevage with very lightly toasted oak, and now, there is an added 12-month elevage on ceramic vessels from Clayver in Italy. The modus operandi is one year in oak, and then the wine is moved to the ceramic one year after the harvest to complete the elevage in an environment with low permeability … i.e. low exposure to oxygen.
The 2024s are just beginning the second year of elevage, so limited what we know about the effects of the ceramics … time will show.
The 2024s are rich for the vintage and strikingly perfumed, sumptuous, and with a deep, discreet scent of roses. They are doing their work, as the magnificent oaks done by the Tonnellerie Rousseau, who developed a special, discreet toast for Guyon’s barrels. The outcome is a delicate perfume in at least some of the wines, which takes them to higher levels of hedonistic joy.
The sulphur levels in the Guyon wines are very low, and will, for the ’22s, be below 10mg/l total – in other words, undetectable. This can cause issues with the wines that get very sensitive to transport and storage, but with the new Clayver elevage, this could help. Though they still have the one-year oak elevage, only time will show.
The 2024s are amazingly intense and very concentrated for the vintage. Extraction is modest, but the midpalate weight is still very impressive for 2024. There is still almost a year of elevage to go … these wines require another mindset when tasting.
So, to the notes! The wines were tasted October 28th
Domaine Jean-Pierre Guyon Bourgogne 2024
The Bourgogne has a rich, generous nose – very intense for a 2024. It has hedonistic notes of cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. Velvety for the vintage – a big Bourgogne rouge … amazing drinkability and intensity for 2024.
(Drink from 2026) – Very Good – (87p) – 
Domaine Jean-Pierre Guyon Chorey-les-Beaune 2024
Chorey-les-Beaune as an appellation is more and more on the buyer’s radar. Guyon is making a fantastic Chorey – rich and expansive. Very enjoyable embracing your palate … very impressive considering the vintage.
(Drink from 2026) – Very Good – (87p) –
Domaine Jean-Pierre Guyon Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Peuillets 2024
Now we are talking floral notes: White and pink roses; I adore these delicate floral notes. Intense and lively, this shows a very appealing mid-palate. There’s good energy from the very lightly toasted oak. It has very good tension as it offers a delightful and rich fruit, amazing for 2024. Again, the classical notes of raspberries as well as complex variants of wild strawberries … light toasting and no main stems do show.
(Drink from 2027) – Very Good – (89p) – 
Domaine Jean-Pierre Guyon Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Herbues 2024
The Herbues is an old favourite chez Winehog … amongst friends it’s called the abuse … hinting that it has a nice hedonistic note. The 2024 is showing very well, lovely pink roses in the background. Not extremely complex, but drinking really well … in an abusive kind of way! Let’s get sodded!
(Drink from 2029) – Fine – (91p) –
Domaine Jean-Pierre Guyon Gevrey-Chambertin La Platière 2024
Has a very fruity nose … oozing with framboise and hints of forest strawberries. Lovely midpalate fruit with a tremendous and delicate salinity. Lovely notes despite it is a Gevrey …
(Drink from 2029) – Very Good – (89-90p) –
Domaine Jean-Pierre Guyon Vosne-Romanée 2024
This is perfumed and floral, with loads of flowers gracing the bouquet. The nose almost explodes with the fragile core of red/pink roses. It’s coming from the lieux-dit Les Chalandins … wow, that’s a lovely village … and 2024!!!!.
(Drink from 2030) – Fine – (91-92p) –
You need to login as a Premium subscriber to read the rest of this article. If you are not a Premium Subscriber, use the subscribe function and sign-up.
- A true vin d’émotion – a Burgundy of passion
- A potential vin d´émotion - frais et léger