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Domaine Guion Bourgueil 2020

As I count down the hours to my next birthday with all the excitement of a nine-year-old desperate to hit ‘double figures’ (well, almost…), it is humbling to realise that – even after all this time – there are still so many domaines in the Loire Valley I have never visited, or never profiled (or even mentioned) here on Winedoctor. This week’s Weekend Wine choice comes from one of these domaines, the eponymously named Domaine Guion in Bourgueil.

As is so often the case with domaines in the Loire Valley, Domaine Guion began life as a polycultural smallholding (perhaps this is true of other regions too, it is just that in the Loire Valley the transition from polyculture to viticulture has been much more recent). It is interesting to note that as the 21st century progresses polyculture, under the guise of regenerative agriculture, is making a comeback, as domaines in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley take to planting fruit trees and other crops alongside or among their vines, as well as reintroducing animals to the vineyard.

It was Jean and Yolande Guion who created this property in the mid-20th century, and from an early stage their smallholding was run using organic means. They adhered to the Lemaire-Boucher method, developed by the agronomist Jean Boucher (1915 – 2009) and the grain dealer Raoul Lemaire (1884 – 1972), which utilised crop rotation with applications of composted manure to maintain soil fertility, without resorting to the increasingly prevalent agricultural chemicals. As many of their neighbours turned to more chemically dependent methods, the Guions resisted, never turning away from their original organic ethos. As a consequence today the domaine boasts a lengthy and unbroken record of organic viticulture, one stretching back to at least 1965.

Domaine Guion Bourgueil 2020

Today the domaine, is run by the next generation, Stéphane Guion, who studied in Bordeaux and worked as maître de chai in Chinon before taking over the running of the family’s vineyard and cellars in 1994. At the time the domaine comprised a mere 8.5 hectares, and it is about the same size today, and he remains in the cellars utilised by his parents in Benais, situated at the foot of the gentle Bourgueil slopes. He continued with the organic philosophies of his parents, the wines certified organic by Ecocert, but with the passing of time he eventually converted the domaine to biodynamics, certified as such by Demeter in 2021.

With a rather bijou vineyard Stéphane produces only a limited range of wines, with the Candide cuvée taking fruit from the youngest vines, and serving as an entry level before the more prestigious cuvées, Authentique and Cuvée des Deux Monts. Alongside he also occasionally releases a zero-added-sulphites cuvée named Pionniers, a rosé and a sparkling Cabernet Franc. I suspect that the domaine cuvée encountered here is the 2020 Candide, from vines aged less than 30 years old, but it is wearing a more generic label suitable for la grande distribution in France (which is where I chanced upon this bottle – I have never been a fan of reporting on received samples, it skews what you write about).

The 2020 Bourgueil from Domaine Guion has been vinified in cuve, the fermentation effected by indigenous yeasts, and once complete the wine rests in cuve for up to ten months before bottling. The aim is, as you would imagine, to preserve the fruit and floral aromatics of the variety through to the bottle and your glass. Pulling the cork reveals a beautifully bright and glossy wine of a richly pigmented black tulip hue. The nose is a complex delight, majoring on dark fruits such as blackberries, with obvious scented notes of violets, enriched by layers of dark chocolate, knapped flint, dark roasted coffee and black olive. The palate maintains a dark and juicy presence to match the nose, but it comes with a perfumed violet and chocolate core, spiced with black pepper, olive and black coffee. A beautifully savoury wine with substance and balance, this is a fine example of Bourgueil, delicious for drinking now or any time over the next three or four years. And probably beyond. The alcohol on the label is 12%. 92/100 (3/3/25)

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