Tasting Notes
From the Clos des Poncetys, Les Carettes and Les Combes, Guffens crafted a mere six barrels of this splendid Saint-Véran. It’s a wine that comes only from the first pressing of Guffens’s adapted Coquard (Champagne) press, hence 1er Jus. Clos des Poncetys is a small vineyard that lies below the Vergisson rock, and Guffens has described it as the “Chevalier-Montrachet of Davayé”. Part of this reference is to the steepness of the site—the rocky, limestone-rich soil—but also the site’s ability to produce ultra-pure flavours with grand cru concentration. Guffens blends this fruit with Les Combes, a terroir on the south-facing slope of Chasselas and is renowned for its freshness and minerality. Les Carettes, also in Davayé, faces northeast and adds further power, texture and mineral steel to this stellar Burgundy. Fabulous.
“Aromas of green pear, confit orange, almond paste and white peach preface the 2022 Saint-Véran 1er Jus, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy wine with a textural attack that segues into a taut, electric palate, concluding with a long, saline finish. This is another strong performance this year, lent additional concentration by a touch of passerillage in the warm, dry weather before harvest.” 93-95 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 |