We had the pleasure of welcoming John Gilman at the end of January 2025 for a tasting of our wines.
Read his tasting notes below.
Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen (Chablis)
Frédéric Gueguen have produced simply beautiful wines in 2023 and they may well be the finest collection I have ever tasted from him. Keep in mind that I first started reviewing the wines from the Gueguens in the 2004 vintage, so I have now seen a goodly range of vintages of the couple’s lovely wines over the years. The domaine started picking on September 12th n 2023 and finished up on the 23rd of the month. Much of the lineup of 2023s had been bottled in July and August of 2024 and the wines had recovered very well from their mise and were showing beautifully. Like many of the finest examples of Chablis that I tasted during my visit to the region, the Gueguens’ 2023s reveal absolutely beautiful fruit tones, that show perfect ripeness, but never any signs of overripeness or tropical shadings, coupled to exquisite expressions of their underlying terroirs. They all have very good acids to keep them bright and light on their feet, but many will drink beautifully from the moment they are released.
2023 Saint Bris Sauvignon- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
The 2023 Saint Bris Sauvignon from Céline and Frédéric Gueguen is an excellent example. The wine offers up a bright and classic bouquet of gooseberry, green apple, chalky soil tones, gentle grassiness and a topnote of citrus peel. On the palate the wine is crisp, precise and fullbodied, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil undertow, fine focus and balance and a long, complex finish. Fine juice. 2025-2035. 90.
2023 Bourgogne Chardonnay “Côtes Salines”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
Frédéric explained that the vines that are used for their Bourgogne Chardonnay “Côtes
Salines” bottling fall just outside of the Chablis appellation, planted on Kimmeridgian soils, and the wine often approaches the quality of many Chablis villages bottlings. The 2023 version is very strong, delivering an aromatic constellation of apple, pear, chalky soil tones, white flowers and a nice touch of beeswax in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with really excellent depth of fruit at the core, a good spine of acidity, lovely soil signature and a long, complex and well balanced finish. Very classy Bourgogne! 2025-2035. 89+.
2023 Petit Chablis- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
The Gueguens’ parcels that go into their Petit Chablis bottling are situated in the village of Préhy, out in the direction of Domaine Brocard. The wine has turned out very well in 2023, delivering a refined nose of lemon, pear, a lovely base of chalky soil tones, citrus zest and a topnote of fruit blossoms. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a lovely core, fine acids and a long, well balanced and nicely precise finish. The Petit Chablis is a touch more reserved in personality today than the fine Bourgogne Blanc, and it would not be a crime to give this fine example a year or two in the cellar to further blossom. 2025-2040. 89+.
2023 Chablis- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
Frédéric has parcels of villages level vines in three different communes, so the finished
wine is a beautifully representative example of the entire region of Chablis. His 2023 version has turned out beautifully, offering up a bright and expressive bouquet of apple, pear, beeswax, a very refined foundation of limestone minerality and a floral topnote redolent of lemon blossoms. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows lovely depth of fruit at the succulent core, with fine mineral inflection and grip, zesty acids and lovely focus and balance on the long and complex finish. First class Chablis AC! 2025-2045.90.
2023 Chablis “La Vigne de 1975”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
As the name of this cuvée implies, the vieilles vignes bottling here is made from a parcel of vines that were planted in 1975. The wine reveals a bright and complex nose of pear, apple, fresh lime, chalky soil tones, a nice touch of oyster shell and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, complex and full-bodied, with a beautiful core of fruit, a very soil-driven personality, a fine spine of acidity and a long, poised and seamlessly balanced finish. Fine, fine juice. 2027-2050. 91.
2023 Chablis “Vosgros”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
Vosgros is the most southerly of all the premier crus in Chablis, with a southwesterly exposition that captures the warmth of the afternoon sun. The 2023 version from Céline and Frédéric Gueguen is an excellent bottle in the making, offering up a complex bouquet of lemon, tart pear, a beautiful foundation of limestone soils, paraffin, citrus zest and a topnote of white lilies. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and zesty in personality, with a fine core, lovely soil signature and grip, bouncy acids and a long, elegant and impeccably balanced finish. 2027-2050. 92.
2023 Chablis “Vaillons”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
The Gueguens’ vines in Vaillons are now fully sixty years of age and they have produced a fine, fine example of the vintage in 2023. The wine’s aromatic constellation is pure and refined, revealing notes of pear, apple, chalky soil tones, dried flowers and a lovely topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a superb core of succulent fruit, lovely mineral undertow, bright acids and a long, precise and seamlessly balanced finish. Fine juice. 2025-2050. 92.
2023 Chablis “Vaucoupin”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
The couple’s vines in Vaucoupin were also planted in 1975, much like their old vine bottling of Chablis AC. Their Vaucoupin has turned out splendidly in 2023, with the wine’s bouquet hopping from the glass in a vibrant blend of lemon, pear, a touch of oyster shell, a beautifully complex foundation of limestone minerality, beeswax, spring flowers and a topnote of lemon zest. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and full-bodied, with snappy acids, great balance and grip, lovely complexity and a very long, mineral-driven and racy finish. A superb premier cru in the making! Try to give it at least a couple of years in the cellar to let its secondary layers of complexity emerge. 2027-2050. 93.
2023 Chablis “Fourchaume”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
The very first wine I ever tasted from Céline et Frédéric Gueguen was their 2004 vintage of Fourchaume, and this premier cru has always been synonymous in my mind with their lovely wines. Their 2023 version is exceptional, offering up a vibrant and complex bouquet of pear, apple, dried flowers, that beautiful base of signature Fourchaume soil tones (which I often describe as “woodsy”, though this does not do it justice) and a topnote of Chablisienne straw. On the palate ht wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a superb core of perfectly ripe fruit, great soil signature, zesty acids and a long, poised and impeccably balanced finish. Great juice. 2025-2050. 93.
2023 Chablis “Bougros”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
Frédéric Gueguen mentioned that his vines in Bougros are the Fontenys side of this grand cru, situated just below les Preuses. This wine has turned out beautifully in 2023, offering up a superbly complex bouquet of lemon, apple, pear, a complex foundation of chalky soil tones, a touch of straw, lime zest and a floral topnote of white lilies. On the palate the wine is deep, precise and full-bodied, with great nascent complexity and cut, a superb core of fruit, outstanding mineral undertow, outstanding balance and a very long, vibrant and refined finish. This will demand some cellaring time to properly blossom, but it is going to be a stunning bottle of Bougros once it is ready to drink! 2031-2070. 95.
2023 Chablis “les Preuses”- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
Apparently, the Gueguens have been bottling an example of les Preuses since the 2020 vintage, but this was the first year in which I have tasted it. The wine is stunning in 2023, delivering a complex aromatic constellation of lemon, pink grapefruit, beeswax, a kaleidoscopic base of chalky minerality, white flowers and a topnote of lime peel. On the palate the wine is deep, crisp and full-bodied, with a superb core of fruit, great complexity and balance, a great spine of acidity and a very long, precise and vibrant finish. Great juice. 2031-2070. 95.
2023 César Coteaux de Bourguignons- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
I had never previously tasted an example of a wine made from the César grape variety.
This very old variety is mostly found in and around Chablis and especially in Irancy, so perhaps I have drunk it in Irancy rouge bottlings and been unaware of it. In any case, the version from Frédéric Gueguen is outstanding in 2023, offering up an impressively complex bouquet of dark berries, bitter chocolate, a touch of tree bark, woodsmoke, a fine base of chalky soil tones and a topnote of fresh thyme. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complex and juicy at the core, with beautiful soil transparency and grip, modest tannins and a long, very nicely balanced finish. Fine juice! 2025-2035+. 90.
2023 Irancy “les Mazelots” Rouge- Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
The Gueguens’ bottling of Irancy is made entirely from pinot noir. The cuvée has turned out beautifully in the 2023 vintage, offering up a bright and complex bouquet of dark berries, coffee bean, woodsmoke, pigeon and a superb base of chalky soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, nascently complex and very well balanced, with a fine core of fruit, moderate tannins and a long, precise and classy finish. Fine juice that will want four or five years in the cellar to properly soften up its modest tannins and start to drink with generosity. 2029-2045. 90.
