Tasting Notes
This is a blend of fruit from two 40- to 50-year-old parcels on the steep, chalky western slope of the Roche de Vergisson in the vineyards of La Côte and En Carmentrant. The Carmentrant terroir shares many similarities with its neighbour Les Crays, including high altitude (around 350 metres) and soils studded with reddish limestone pebbles. The south-facing vines account for the fleshy texture in the glass. For its part, La Côte—which sits directly below the majestic rock—faces northeast and offers balancing acidity and cool mineral line. No press wine was included this vintage. When we tasted this wine with Jean-Marie Guffens, he noted that he had never seen such beautiful grapes from these vineyards as he did in 2022.
“Based on La Côte, complemented by En Carmentrant, the 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé C. C. is forward and expressive, delivering aromas of orange oil, peach, nutmeg and white flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny palate that remains lively and dynamic.” 91-93 points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
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 |