If they needed a set for a movie about

Burgundy in the 1950s, they wouldn’t have to look any further than this eight-generation old cellar in Savigny-Les-Beaune. Here is a spot steeped in tradition with none of the frou-frou associated with some of the more elite properties in the more ‘important’ villages further along the RN74. This is as Old School as it comes! Currently run by brothers Philippe and Vincent Guillemot, it was granddad Pierre who first started bottling wine from the family’s holdings in Savigny and Corton back in 1946. Pierre was one the first connections then-fledgling wine importer Kermit Lynch made back in the day, and Gail Skoff’s lovely photo of the rotund, bristly-mustachioed Pierre graces Kermit’s book, Adventures On The Wine Route. And not much has changed here since Pierre’s day. The Pinot Noir grapes from the family’s old vines are still fermented in neutral wooden cuves and aged in used barrels thereafter, except for the four Premier Cru Savignys and the Grand Cru Corton Rouge, which sees around 10% new wood every vintage. Though not the family’s largest holding in Savigny (that would be Serpentieres), over the years we have been great fans of the Guillemot Narbantons, perhaps the most famous of the appellation's Premier Crus. It’s the cuvee we think best captures both the essence of this iconic terroir and that certain something that sets the Guillemot wines apart from the rest. The Guillemot holding is aged over 60 years and produces Pinot Noirs with both presence and elegance. There is always a bit of rusticity in a great Savigny, a bit of ruddy earthiness that adds complexity to its blue-cast fruit and, in Narbantons, this character comes through in spades. And, despite its rather unpromising color, there is also richness, verve and personality. It’s a wine you can drink now with some peppery, herby grilled lamb chops or keep it as long as you like. The brothers also produce a single white wine from very old, mainly Pinot Blanc vines. This is one of Burgundy’s truly unsung whites- deeply pitched, spicy and extremely long-lived. I have 24 bottles on offer. We also have a case of the brothers’ Corton Rouge, the Grand Cru gem in the Guillemot cellar. These wines are truly built to last and twenty, or even thirty years in the cellar is not too long! Lastly, look at the prices! Premier and Grand Cru Burgundy with this much character, pedigree and age-ability at these sorts of tariffs are a rare breed indeed! Very highly recommended.