Tasting Notes
The Chavigne Pierreclos vineyard lies on a very steep slope of rich brown clays with countless pierrailles, or small stones. Of all his vineyards, “I love Mâcon-Pierreclos, the most,” Guffens told us, “Because it was our very first vineyard, and no one wanted it because it was too steep.” Although several high-profile growers also farm here, it’s a vineyard that has rightly become synonymous with Guffens. The Guffens parcel—accounting for 3.3 hectares—is planted at a density of 11,000 vines per hectare and (in a good year) yields 300-400g of fruit per vine (just six to eight bunches). In his excellent reference, Inside Burgundy, Jasper Morris MW writes of this vineyard: “Pierreclos is at the crossroads between Mâconnais and Beaujolais ... there are good reds to be had here, as well as exceptional whites from Domaine Guffens-Heynen.”
This is super, with great finesse and loads of complexity. Expect a wine that is almost unbearably seductive and very complex, with notes of lemon curd, rock salt, verbena and lovely leesy, brioche-like depths. Terrific freshness, drive and length too. Would trouble many a 1er cru Côte d’Or white. - Importer Note
Over the decades Jean-Marie Guffen’s predisposition for ruffling feathers may have, at times, overshadowed the significance of his many triumphs. Today I think people simply accept that Guffen’s straight-shooting style simply comes with the territory. Indeed, the bullshit-free universe that Guffens inhabits may in fact be one of the key reasons why he has become such an important and influential grower in Burgundy. Trying to make better-than-Grand Cru whites in the Mâconnais? What kind of personality would try such a thing? Only an iconoclast, able to see through the cultural straight jacket of his times and recognise things as they might be in an alternative universe.
There is still a great deal of poor viticulture in the Cote d’Or and there are many great and historic terroirs in them Mâcon. If you work to the highest possible standards in these latter terroirs, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to achieve greatness. Guffens saw this and he was right. Now others are following his lead. There’s no doubt that when the stars align, as they so often do here, Domaine Guffens-Heynen is nigh on untouchable.
| Product Type | Wine White Chardonnay |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | France |
| Region | Burgundy |
| Sub Region | Macon |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |