Tasting Notes
Tri de Chavigne results from several successive picks (over 12 days) in the vines at the top of the Chavigne parcel mentioned above. It’s crafted entirely from free-run juice, fermented, and raised with 35% new oak. Our note from the wine’s initial release: As expected, this is a step up in intensity over the regular Chavigne (already pretty damn smart). Here you have this magical, pure, nectarine/citrusy fruit, shot through with crystalline spice, chalky notes, and a long smoky, quinine close. An incredible balancing act of richness and vibrant freshness. Far too young. It will be magic with another 5+ years. - 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 |