Tasting Notes
Due to the tiny yields this year, this is the only St-Véran in the range – hence it is Unique! This is a blend from all of Guffens’ parcels in the appellation, including the great vineyards of La Combes, Clos de Poncetys and Les Carettes. Clos des Poncetys is a small vineyard that lies below the Vergisson rock, and Guffens has described it as the “Chevalier-Montrachet of Davayé”, a reference to the steepness of the site, the rocky, limestone-rich soil and the site’s ability to produce ultra-pure flavours with tremendous concentration and minerality. La Combes lies on a south-facing slope that brings freshness, while the ballast comes from Les Carettes, a clay-based terroir in Davayé strewn with white rocks.
It’s a deep, dense, concentrated wine with lots of extract and power yet also silky depths, some gentle grip and a long creamy, leesy, iodine-rich close. Very classy oak bringing a twist as well. You see the acidity, and yet, everything is wonderfully balanced and, again, just amazingly seductive. “Seamless” is a good word. - 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 |