Beaune, Clos de la Chaume Gaufriot, Antonin Guyon, 1999

This was the last of three bottles I bought a while back, each of which were very different. This one was certainly worth the wait.

The provenance of this wine is tricky, made confusing by conflicting information on the label. The vineyard, Clos de la Chaume Gaufriot is simple enough (circled vineyard in map below). It is a monopole of Domaine Antonin Guyon. However, although this wine is produced by Domaine Antonin Guyon, the label makes reference to a Domaine Hippolyte Thevenot. On this last point, Burgundy Report notes that:

...from an ownership and production perspective there is no real difference, they are simply separate civil entities for bookkeeping.

Confused? I am. Finally, the label states the address of the domaine is Aloxe Corton, when in fact the domaine is based in Savigny-les-Beaune!

Confusion aside, this is a well respected, if not widely known domaine, and this is a very good wine. Clos de la Chaume Gaufriot is situated above the premier crus and is characterised by clay and limestone. The wine is aged in oak for a year and is recommended to be kept for five years. 1999 was an excellent vintage and hence I decided to wait longer, finally opening the wine on its tenth anniversary.

• Appearance: Prune/ tawny rim with an earthy, blood red core
• Nose: Slightly medicinal, almost tired. Hard to pin down.
• Palette: Perfectly balanced between soft tannins and ethereal fruit, which fills the palette like a velvet glove with a spicy edge, (cloves?). So delicate and perfectly poised with a earthiness on the finish and a peacock's tail of strawberries and those cloves again.
• Conclusion: A delightful wine which was 'a point' now. The perfect match for a coq au vin. 3* 8/10