Description
“No one but no one delivers more quality for the price than Goisot. The quality is flat out amazing, particularly given the modest appellations with which he works.” Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
“This is certainly one of the greatest Yonne estates…The estate is totally biodynamic and makes wines of remarkable purity and concentration … Simply stunning.” Bettane and Desseauve’s Guide to the Wines of France
As the quotes above make clear, this pioneering biodynamic Yonne domaine (the same department of Burgundy which includes Chablis) produces fabulous, terroir-rich Burgundies, and surely this region’s greatest values (even with the recent price rises forced on the Domaine by the crippling yields). For a Domaine that works in an area that most wine lovers have never heard of, Goisot has earned an unprecedented reputation in France. The late Anne-Claude Leflaive once described Goisot as a “one of the super stars of French winemaking”.
How has such a small, quiet, out-of-the-way grower broken into the Burgundy elite? In short, they farm some of northern Burgundy’s purest limestone vineyards, possess a large proportion of old vines, and cut no corners in their vineyard work and élevage. In fact, the Goisot’s biodynamic work in the vineyard is at a standard that knows few equals (anywhere) and certainly places the Domaine at the very top of the greater Chablis area. Once again there is zero mystery as to where the wine quality derives: quality terroir and zero compromises = top notch, authentic wines.
About this wine: Biodynamic. Pinot Noir from 100-year-old vines (pictured below). Irancy is a small hamlet with a little over 300 inhabitants, situated roughly equidistant between Auxerre and Chablis. The village lies two kilometres from the Yonne River and is surrounded by a large natural amphitheatre of vines. It is one of the most northerly AOCs in France to produce red wine and, like the neighbouring wine villages of Chitry and Saint-Bris, the wines of Irancy only make rare appearances on the export market. The vineyards, interspersed with cherry orchards, are planted on slopes of Kimmeridgian limestone mixed with red clays. These highly mineral soils and the extreme northern location help to give these Pinots incredible energy, brightness and a tangy, chiselled minerality.
Goisot has a paltry 0.5-hectares in the lieu-dit of Les Mazelots, and his viticulture and vine age are now delivering serious depth and flesh. In the context of Irancy, the wine is a superstar. These are some of the oldest Pinot vines in France (in the world, in fact) and produce outstanding, super-mineral, savoury wines with irresistible energy. In the past these could be big chewy wines that were hard to approach young, but Guilhem Goisot has been bringing more and more plushness and seduction in recent years, as he has learnt to tame the tannins and intense minerality of this terroir.
93 points, Neal Martin, Vinous “The 2019 Irancy Les Mazelots comes from century-old vines grown on grey clay soils over a millefeuille of chalk. It’s fully de-stemmed with no pigeage and undergoes a 23-day maceration with one daily pump-over. This is clearly a level up from the La Voie de Cravants, delivering gorgeous, pure black cherry, blueberry and rose petal scents, all very elegant. The well-balanced palate shows nicely integrated oak. The granular finish is beautifully defined. A fantastic Irancy.”
Outstanding, 90 points, Allen Meadows, Burghound. “Here the nose is slightly riper and more complex if otherwise similar to that of the Voie de Cravant. By contrast there is a notably denser mouthfeel to the sappy middle weight flavors that deliver fine length on the rustic and mildly warm finale. This isquite powerful and an Irancy that should age well over the mid-term.”
Bill Nanson, Burgundy Report “Deep colour. Hmm – that’s really wide, darker fruit but of energy. Extra fresh much more direct, there’s more overt structure here too – but what a great finish, long and vibrant, slightly dry textured – really great here.”
Our Price $83.99 – Extremely Limited – while stocks last!
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