Jérôme & Ghislaine Guichard

GUY BLANCHARD
The Montbellet region in the Mâconnais is richly varied in agriculture but less in wine-growing than in Chablis. Organic cultivation in the eighties was less talked about, but the legendary winemaker Guy Blanchard, a pioneer in heart and soul, intuitively felt the rhythm. He worked directly without harmful additives, used his yeasts, and never saw sulphur in his wines. In 2011, Guy Blanchard left for the Swiss Alps, and his apple of the eye, Jérôme Guichard, took over at Domaine Sauveterre while promising to continue the work with the same passion, philosophy, and drive.

FAR AHEAD OF THE WINE WORLD
With the arrival of Jérôme Guichard, the wines are different perspectives. They are far ahead of the flooded wine world. Conservative wine tasters might have reservations, but we are always happy to be seduced by these supernatural white and untamed red wines with a wonderfully heavenly taste. Admittedly, tasting with Jérôme is not that easy. We taste so many layers and nuances, and we often get lost. Still, it is all so good, dynamic, and exciting that we have sometimes wondered who or what has guided us over the past 12 years. That is precisely when we realise we are privileged and want to continue tasting. Bouchat, Perrières, Vin d'Montbled, Noir de Creuse Noire, Jus de Chaussette, Promesse,
Arrêts Fréquent. Each of them has turbulent flavours of Chardonnay, Gamay, and, recently, Pinot Noir.

GRASS HERBS AND FLOWERS
Jerome's vineyard work is natural agriculture in the most excellent degree. Each vineyard is teeming with life. Grass, herbs, and flowers grow freely, and you can smell the intoxicating aromas of his wines. Since 2019, ploughing and using a copper spray to combat mildew stopped. An approach that is self-evident to Jérôme because he sees that the soils, despite the lower yields, have never been so healthy.

NO COMPROMISES
In the cellar, Jérôme makes no concessions with additions or omissions. His healthy grapes usually ferment for a very long time, and the maturation in wooden barrels can last up to five years or as long as necessary until the fruit's acidity has reached the right balance. Depending on the potential of each plot, the Chardonnays are bottled separately. While Bouchat, with its soft floral aromas, mainly grows on clay soil, the 90-year-old Les Perrières comes from coarsely crumbled limestone.
In the best years, Les Perrières produces the often promised but rare noble class of a great white Burgundy. Since 2017, Jérôme has also had Gamay on a site called Promess, planted on a steep, east-facing slope near Viré-Clessé. Despite the reasonably cold location, ripeness is rarely an issue here, and Jérôme knows how to create an almost opulent contrast of brooding and bright textures.

HEDONISTIC
Since 2012, we have fallen not only for his hedonistic wines but also for the simple font on the refined and recognisable labels. Over all these years, Jérôme has proven with great patience and quiet courage that less is often more. We want to cellar all these trophies, but they usually sell out before we get the chance.