The damage from the frost in 2016 was catastrophic in Savigny-les-Beaune. Recognizing how little wine was produced in 2016, the following autumn I skipped my usual tastings at producers from that village. However, when I visited in 2018, after we tasted the 2017s, Vincent Guillemot was kind enough to offer to open some 2016s for me.
No new oak was used in the vintage, only one-year and two-year old barrels. The wines will be sold only in export markets.
2016 Savigny-les-Beaune blanc
From a yield of only 9 hl/ha, this wine has attractive mineral aromas. The mouth shows some richness with mineral and lime flavors, nervosity, and concentration, although the wine is less full than its 2017 counterpart. 91/A
Turning to the reds:
2016 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
The nose is floral and mineral. The mouth shows concentration, freshness, and energy with dark fruits. This is an outstanding value wine. 90/A
2016 Savigny-les-Beaune
Due to the small production, this is the only village red that Guillemot made in 2016, and it is 100% whole cluster. The wine is concentrated and dense with dark fruits, but seems already to be closing down. 88+/B+
2016 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Serpentières
Guillemot has only old vines in Serpentières, although there are different dates of plantation. With 1.80 ha in the vineyard, Guillemot is the largest owner of there. The wine is concentrated with dark fruits, and it is fresh and energetic. There is some tannin here, and this wine would seem to need considerable aging to reach full maturity. 89(+)/B
2016 Corton En Rognet
If you’re going to have one vineyard that escapes the devastation of the frost, it might as well be the grand cru, right? As with most other estates I visited that have holdings on the east-facing slope of the Corton hill, Guillemot had a generous 2016 — 39 hl/ha. The nose here is floral. The mouth has mineral dark fruits, a smooth texture, and good length and concentration. This wine is more open today than the Serpentières. 93/A-