Speaking of Burgundian anomalies, how about Pinot Blanc? Burgundian Pinot Blanc—which a few growers in Savigny and Nuits-Saint-Georges have selected and propagated over time—is Pinot Noir that has lost its color due to a mutation. While Savigny still has a scattering of Pinot Blanc vines, the Guillemots are of the rare few who use it as a main component of their blanc (this one is 70% Pinot Blanc and 30% Chardonnay). Fermented and aged in a barrel made of mixed staves of acacia and oak (another rarity for the region), it is long and creamy, with zip and a wide aromatic range. As it ages, it gets a bit racier, the fruit a bit more exotic. Right now, the 2018 vintage is spot on, for those of you who may have put a bottle or two aside. The Guillemots tell me that the 1979, out of magnum, is pure Pinot Blanc perfection, if you have any still sitting around. (Sadly, we may just have to take their word on that one!)

Three Burgundies for the price of one? In one of those “only in Burgundy” anomalies, the Guillemots have a parcel on the outskirts of Savigny, several rows wide, that sits mainly in the Bourgogne appellation. Walking up a row, partway through, you are suddenly in the Savigny-lès-Beaune “Les Prévaux” appellation. There’s no sign, no line in the dirt, but there you are. Walk back down the same row, and on the other end, you’ll find yourself once again (without any fanfare or signage) in the Chorey-lès-Beaune appellation. If the Guillemots really wanted to nitpick, they could easily turn that parcel into three different cuvées, with the Savigny and Chorey fetching a higher price than the Bourgogne. Instead, the Guillemots keep it simple—and, most important, keep it really good—by making a single, exceptional Bourgogne rouge. It offers sparkle and aromatics typical of Savigny, with a darker robe and denser feel, thanks to the vintage (and perhaps those Chorey vines, too).