Yonne's Lost Vineyard
Raphaëlle Guyot was never supposed to make wine. Raised between the Yonne and Paris, she was enrolled in business school when a single glass of Jo Landron's Muscadet "Amphibolite" at age 18 changed everything. She dropped out, enrolled at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune, and spent years apprenticing with some of France's most revered producers — Thibault Liger-Belair in Nuits-Saint-Georges, La Grange Tiphaine in Amboise, Vincent Pinard in Sancerre, Cyril Fhal at Clos du Rouge Gorge, and Athénaïs de Béru in Chablis. In 2018, at just 26, she returned to her native Puisaye-Forterre — a forgotten viticultural region between Sancerre and Chablis that had been wiped out by phylloxera and never replanted. She took over bramble-covered plots, cleared them by hand, and began planting. Today she farms ~3 hectares with plans to expand to 6, runs a small négociant operation, and is widely considered one of the most exciting young natural winemakers in Burgundy. Her wines are brimming with life and energy — pure, mineral, and unmistakably alive.
The Glass That Changed Everything
Raphaëlle Guyot grew up between the Yonne and Paris, far from the vineyards she would one day revive. She was on a conventional path — business school, a stable career — when, at 18, she tasted Jo Landron's Muscadet "Amphibolite." That single glass ignited a passion she could not ignore. She left business school, enrolled in viticulture and oenology at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune, and graduated with a BTS in 2015. But she didn't stop there. She sought out the most rigorous and inspiring mentors in France [^2^][^3^].
Her apprenticeships read like a who's-who of natural wine royalty: Thibault Liger-Belair in Nuits-Saint-Georges, where she learned precision and terroir expression; La Grange Tiphaine in Amboise, where she discovered the vitality of biodynamic farming; Vincent Pinard in Sancerre, where she understood the power of limestone; Cyril Fhal at Clos du Rouge Gorge in Roussillon, where she absorbed the philosophy of patience and minimal intervention; and Athénaïs de Béru in Chablis, where she saw how a single woman could resurrect a family estate. She even spent a harvest in Georgia, broadening her perspective on ancient winemaking traditions [^3^][^6^].
By 2018, Raphaëlle knew where she belonged. She returned to her native Puisaye-Forterre in the Yonne — a region that, before phylloxera, had over 200 hectares of vines and a vibrant wine culture. After the louse destroyed the vineyards, growers abandoned the land entirely, turning to cereals or letting the hillsides go wild. Raphaëlle saw not a wasteland, but an opportunity. She purchased 10 hectares in and around Sainte-Colombe-sur-Loing, took over the Ferme de l'Orme du Pont — a 19th-century farm surrounded by 75 hectares of land — and began the painstaking work of reviving a lost viticultural heritage [^3^][^4^].
"Dedicated and one of the most passionate winemakers we know, she is already achieving incredible results, and we can't wait to see what comes next from her."
— LITTLEWINE
Puisaye-Forterre, Yonne
Raphaëlle's domaine sits on the periphery of what is still considered Burgundy — geographically almost closer to the Loire than to the heart of the Côte d'Or. The Yonne is a region with a long and storied viticultural history, much of which was sadly lost to phylloxera. Before the louse, over 200 hectares of vines flourished here. Today, thanks to young, talented growers like Raphaëlle, this region is being revived and its potential starting to be rediscovered [^4^][^10^].
Her vineyards are planted on limestone hillsides at 150–250 metres elevation, with clay-limestone soils that mirror the terroirs of Chablis and Sancerre. The slopes are steep, the landscape wild and biodiverse, and the climate cool enough to preserve acidity while allowing full ripeness. Raphaëlle's farming is certified organic (Ecocert), with biodynamic principles including lunar calendar work, agroforestry, and the planting of hedges and fruit trees to increase biodiversity. She has planted her vines at a density of 4,500 vines per hectare — lower than the traditional Burgundian 10,000 — which allows for cover crops and reduces frost and disease risk. The fruiting wire is set unusually high at 80 cm, making the vines easier to farm and more resilient [^3^][^4^].
The first planting was carried out in April 2020 with 0.75 hectares of Chardonnay, followed by a second planting in 2021 with 1 hectare of Chardonnay. She also took over previously neglected Pinot Noir plots — Les Hâtes (0.5 hectares, planted in the early 2000s and abandoned since 2006) and Les Robinettes (planted in 2006 and 2008). Her total estate holdings now span ~3 hectares, with a vision to expand to 6. The remaining land is given over to a combination of grains, fruit trees, and grazing land, as she has begun to take on cows and sheep — a full polyculture farm that integrates crop diversity and livestock in addition to the vines [^3^][^15^].
A 0.5-hectare parcel on a small plateau of clay and limestone with a south-west exposure. Planted in the early 2000s, abandoned from 2006, and rediscovered by Raphaëlle in 2018 completely under the bushes. Hand-harvested in 20kg cases. 50% destemmed, 50% whole bunch. Two weeks of skin contact with light extraction. Aged 6 months in old oak barrels. The estate's first red — bright red fruit and firm limestone minerality.
A stony hillside planted in 2006 and 2008 with Pinot Noir. South-southeast exposure on broken limestone reminiscent of Chablis. Hand-harvested in 20kg cases. 70% whole bunch, 30% destemmed. 20 days of skin contact. Aged 10 months in old oak barrels. More powerful and structured than Les Hâtes, with black cherry, violets, and a deep floral character. 94/100 from Wine Anorak.
0.75 hectares planted in April 2020, plus 1 hectare in 2021, on clay-limestone slopes. Mass-selected vines at 4,500 vines/hectare density with high fruiting wire at 80 cm. Directly pressed, fermented with indigenous yeast, aged 7–12 months in old oak barrels and stainless tanks. The first estate Chardonnays are just coming online, with early cuvées showing pear, apple, citrus, and striking minerality.
A 19th-century farm in Sainte-Colombe-sur-Loing, surrounded by 75 hectares. Raphaëlle's vision is a mixed-culture farm: field crops, vines, and eventually livestock. Cows and sheep have already been introduced. The goal is agronomic, economic, and social balance through diversity — a holistic approach that goes far beyond winemaking to encompass the entire ecosystem of the land.
Whole Cluster, Minimal Sulfur, No Filter
Raphaëlle's cellar work is defined by sensitivity and restraint. She believes that the vineyard does the real work — her role is to guide, not to impose. For her whites, grapes are directly pressed in a pneumatic press, lightly decanted, and fermented with indigenous yeast in tanks or old barrels. The whites age for 5–18 months, with no bâtonnage, no fining, and no filtration. The goal is purity and tension: wines that feel open and ready, deeply textured, with elasticity on the palate [^3^][^11^].
For her reds, the approach is equally gentle. Pinot Noir is vinified with 50–100% whole-cluster fermentation, depending on the parcel and vintage. Maceration lasts 1–3 weeks with very light extraction — no pump-overs, minimal pigeage. The wines are aged for 5–12 months in old barrels or tanks, then bottled with minimal or no sulfites. Some cuvées receive 0–15 ppm total SO₂ at bottling; others are entirely sulfite-free. No fining, no filtration. The result is Pinot Noir of unusual clarity and energy — sappy, fine, and brimming with life [^3^][^11^].
Raphaëlle also runs a small négociant operation, sourcing organic grapes from the Grand Auxerrois and Chablis outskirts to supplement her tiny estate production. This allows her to work with varieties and terroirs beyond her own vineyards — Aligoté from old vines, Sauvignon Blanc from Saint-Bris, Pinot Noir from Irancy — while maintaining her rigorous standards. Every wine, whether from her own vines or purchased fruit, shares an unmistakable link: an energy, depth, and purity that highlights the individual characteristics of each parcel and the deft hand at work to bring these nuances to life [^3^][^6^].
The 2021 Frost Devastation
In 2021, frost wiped out Raphaëlle's entire estate crop. She produced no wine from her own vines that year — a devastating blow for a young domaine with only 1.5–2 hectares in production. But she didn't stop. She relied entirely on her négociant operation, sourcing organic grapes from trusted growers in the Auxerrois and Chablis outskirts to keep the domaine alive. The experience only deepened her commitment to her land and her community. By 2022, she was back with estate fruit, and the wines were better than ever — a testament to her resilience and the vitality of her terroir. Today, her production remains tiny: ~2,000–3,000 bottles annually from estate fruit, with négociant cuvées adding to the range.
Life & Energy
Raphaëlle Guyot is currently seen as one of the most exciting young talents in Burgundy's natural wine scene. Her wines are brimming with life and energy — the whites feel open and ready, deeply textured, with tension and elasticity on the palate. The Pinots share an aromatic richness from the whole-cluster fermentations and beautifully ripe fruit, yet each is an individual expression of its parcel. Wine Anorak's Jamie Goode awarded her Les Robinettes Pinot Noir 94/100 and her Le Baiser Irancy 94/100, calling them "fine, pure and chalky" and "sappy and fine with lovely acidity" [^4^].
What sets Raphaëlle apart is not just her technical skill but her vision. She is not merely making wine — she is rebuilding a viticultural culture that was erased by phylloxera and forgotten by history. Through studying old texts and harvest records going back to the early 19th century, she identified promising patches of land that had once produced serious wine. She is propelling history into the future, planting baby vineyards in areas that had succumbed to phylloxera and were never replanted — until now. Her project is already inspiring other growers to rediscover Yonne's potential [^2^][^4^].
Raphaëlle is diminutive, focused, and deeply connected to her land. She works with her hands, clears brambles, plants vines, and tends her farm with a quiet intensity that matches the precision of her wines. There is no pretension, no marketing machine — just a young woman, her vineyards, her animals, and a dream of restoring what was lost. As one importer noted, her wines "leave no one indifferent" — they are alive, honest, and unmistakably the product of a singular vision [^3^][^9^].
"Her wines are brimming with life and energy. The whites feel open and ready, deeply textured, with tension and elasticity on the palate."
— Sam Ehrlich, Chambers Street Wines
The Guyot Range
All estate wines are made from organically farmed fruit, hand-harvested in 20kg cases, fermented with indigenous yeast, and bottled with minimal or no added sulfites. No fining, no filtration. Reds feature whole-cluster fermentation with gentle extraction; whites are directly pressed and aged in old barrels or tanks. Négociant cuvées use organic grapes from the Auxerrois and Chablis outskirts, with the same natural rigour. Production is tiny — ~2,000–3,000 bottles annually from estate fruit — so availability is limited and allocations are strictly managed [^3^][^11^].