2021 Domaine Guffens-Heynen, Mâcon-Pierreclos ”Deuxieme Vendange de Chavigne” White Burgundy, France.
Tasted blind, I believed this was an upper echelon Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet, and I had to be convinced that the bottle wasn’t swapped, when I saw the Mâcon-Pierreclos on the label, but then saw it was a Guffens-Heynen and just enjoyed the moment with such a profound wine. The depth and mineral intensity puts this wine in a different league, with leesy richness, as the top wines here at Guffens-Heynen mostly fermented in barrel with bâtonage, showing a riveting palate of lemon curd, lime, apple and Bosc pear fruits, along with a slightly reductive tone, hazelnut, almond paste, clove spice, chalky wet stone, a hint of toasty vanilla and delicate white flowers. The sense of terroir and vibrancy, certainly remind you of the best of the Côte de Beaune, and I again would not have batted an eye if you told me this was Meursault or the mentioned Chassagne, such was the presentation of class and substance here. The Mâcon crus, Saint-Veran and Pouilly-Fuisse are all seeing a huge rise in quality and these wines are rivaling the more traditional Burgundy zones, which are now nose bleed priced in most cases, and sadly the prices are have gone way up as well, as seen here! For optimum delicacy, the grapes, for this Deuxieme Vendange de Chavigne are lightly crushed before being pressed in the cellar, where a modified Coquard press is used; according to the winery, this is uncommon in Burgundy but more common in Champagne and then the wines see a long cool fermentation, with the mostly free run juice going into the top cuvées, that are then barrel fermented and aged.
The vineyards of the Mâcon, once known for cheap Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay bottlings, are the new hotspots in Burgundy with many some crus of old vines set on chalky limestone, making for wines of monumental character these days. Interestingly Jean-Marie Guffens and Maine Heynen of Domaine Guffens-Heynen are originally from Flanders in Belgium, but moved to Burgundy in 1976 to pursue a career in winemaking, and now have gone on to become one of the most sought after growers in the Mâcon region with a cult like following much like of Meursault’s Jean-Marc Roulot. There’s a sense of energy here in these wines, with low PH and high acidity being the norm with the set and years like 2021, a bit less ripe, being exceptional for the style that is preferred. According to the winery, a varying amount of new oak is used, while bâtonnage, as mentioned, is performed multiple times throughout to stimulate a healthy culture in the wine, not only to encourage texture. Ultimately, as Guffens notes, each wine “began with an idea.” And to translate that, no wine is formulaic, or relies on a certain dogma, the signature here is that of vibrancy, feeling and a true sense of spirit, if not place. Which sounds right up my alley, and in fact shows here in this Mâcon-Pierreclos ”Deuxieme Vendange de Chavigne”, which is one of the most prized bottlings and a wine that I’m unlikely to see or afford again anytime soon, shame that, as it was incredible on the night. A big thank you to my friend Alex Lallos, who has been a long time fan of Guffens-Heynen and who shared this one with a small group of wine geeks on a blind tasting night, it without a doubt was one of the biggest highlights if not the real star!
($124-169 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive