I’ve yet to meet Jérôme Guichard, but a visit to Domaine Sauveterre in the Mâconnais remains high on my wishlist. In lieu, and in speaking to trusted sources who have met and work with Jérôme, I repeatedly hear of how quiet, calm, zen the man is. Formerly the assistant of the low key legendary Guy Blanchard, whose now rare Chardonnays (who’s holding?) rip the tongue with richness, ripeness, and balanced VA, Guichard, in a way is carrying the torch—at least with his white wines—after taking over the domaine and dubbing it Sauveterre in 2011.
Guichard’s wines are confounding and mercurial, but for me, all it took was one beautiful experience with the wares to be hooked. The white wines (Chardonnay and Aligoté) feel id-like to me, zinging across the palate, sometimes electric and intense, sometimes with sugar, sometimes bone dry, sometimes even pillowy soft and deluxe, but always intriguing no matter how fucked most somms or a classic wine bro would call them.
The Mâconnais is the most southernly area of Burgundy, and edges onto the Beaujolais, with the soil being highly composed of clay, and rich in minerals. It’s here in Leynes where Jérôme shares a plot of Gamay with Philippe Jambon (again, who’s holding?). From this parcel in the Beaujolais (Burgundy basically being the other side of the road) comes Noir de Creuse Noire, a standout Gamay. To make matters even more confusing, and in contrast to the more capricious whites, Creuse Noire remains one of the most profound and consistently elegant Gamays I’ve yet to taste. I recently grabbed a small stash of Creuse Noire 2018 from my long-term storage to offer now, and have also received a case of the matter-of-factly named and just released Pet ‘Nat 2019—a perfect example of Jérôme’s exciting yet balanced white wine style in bubbly form.
Pet ‘Nat 2019 $33
Also, on Saturday, November 20, I’ll be quietly hosting a fall wine sale—RSVP here if you’d like to attend.
Thanks for reading and much love,
Brian