VERGET & DOMAINE GUFFENS-HEYNEN

MACON, CHABLIS & CÔTE D’OR

“Before Guffens, no one knew that Mâcon Peirreclos or even Pouilly-Fuissé could rival Corton-Charlemagne or Bâtard Montrachet.  Now they do.” Andrew Jefford, The New France

“This peerless winemaker has surpassed himself with recent vintages.” Bettane & Desseauve, The World’s Greatest Wines

Verget owner and winemaker Jean-Marie Guffens is articulate, controversial and hopelessly talented. The first tranche of his 2010 whites have just arrived and they are all that we have come to expect from Burgundy’s enfant-terrible. These are incredible value, hyper-pure and arresting wines from some of the best vineyards in southern Burgundy. They are also the first white Burgundies that we have shipped from the 2010 vintage, possibly the finest white harvest in living memory. Guffens is almost pathologically self-critical, yet even he was positive when describing this remarkable year!

You could fill a book with Guffenisms; his too honest retorts and quips are legendary throughout the French wine world. Guffens has a tongue sharper than the blade on a Koji Hara custom knife! Here is a teaser:  

On the 2006 white Burgundies, “Pick the yellow bananas, not the brown ones.”

On the ‘07 white Burgundies, “They will be too young until they are too old.”

On where he sits in the Burgundian hierarchy, “I'm one of the three best white winemakers in Burgundy. It's just a pity that the other two are so far behind.”

On other negociants, “They used to be able to sell appellations. Now they have to sell wines.”

On corks vs screwcaps, “Many use corks so that they have an excuse for their wines. If they use screw-caps and their wine is bad, they will have to admit that they are the ones who screwed it!”

On the winegrowers of Chablis, “They're one-eyed kings in the land of the blind."

Fortunately, you could also fill a book with the praise Guffens receives for the astonishing quality of his wines. While some of his comments seem to suggest a certain arrogance, you need to keep in mind, firstly, that Guffens often has his tongue firmly in his cheek, and, secondly, that Guffens is just as hard on his own wines as he is on those produced by his colleagues. Despite his incendiary flamboyance, the heart of Guffens’ success lies in that humble, old-fashioned virtue; hard work in the vineyards. We are unabashed fans and remain stunned that wines of this class and personality can still land at the prices below. They are some of France’s most immaculate bottlings; wines that capture a rare, bell-like clarity without any of the solidsy, cheesy, leesy complexity that we often associate with quality white Burgundy. Guffens in fact considers these characters to be artefact and so avoids them at all costs. For those who are new to Verget and winemaker Jean-Marie Guffens, it’s not stretching the bow too tightly to suggest that Guffens has redefined what is possible in the Mâcon. He has done this by bringing a perfectionist – and iconoclastic – approach to all levels of viticulture and winemaking in order to reveal a purity and depth that was previously a pipedream, at least in the Mâcon.
 The Guffens-Heynen wines are very different in style to those of Verget – much more powerful, opulent, and layered. Meticulously produced from tiny yields of only flawless berries, these wines are made in minuscule quantities and allocated strictly. The fruit is harvested via multiple runs through the vineyard over a period of days. Only the perfect fruit makes it to the press. In the winery, Guffens’ favourite toy is a small hydraulic Champagne press made by Coquard in 1930, which he had rebuilt by hand in time for the 2001 harvest. This tool gives him the flexibility of being able to press multiple tiny batches of grapes each day, rather than having to wait longer to fill a larger press. While he can press extremely gently overnight, he can also drain off the free-run juice and capture 85% of the volume of the grapes in half an hour. In short, Guffens-Heynen is JM Guffens’ folly. He pulls out all stops to make the greatest wines possible from the Macon. The results are in the bottle for all to taste. As Andrew Jefford has written in The New France “Before Guffens, no one knew that Mâcon Peirreclos or even Pouilly-Fuissé could rival Corton-Charlemagne or Bâtard Montrachet. Now they do.”

Domaine Verget

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Verget Vaucluse Rose 2011

Product Code: 9886-750

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Verget Vaucluse Blanc Roussanne 2010

Screwcap. 60 cases. This is smashing. 100% Roussanne is seldom seen on its own round these parts and this brims with all kinds of deliciousness. Typical of Guffens, it's a very pure take on... read more

Product Code: 9132-750

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Maconnais

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Verget Macon Bussieres Vignes de Montbrison 2010

20 cases. Situated to the north of the stunning Roche de Vergisson, the Mâcon Bussières vineyard is located directly below the village of the same name. It's on a gentle, southern facing slope and... read more

Product Code: 9128-750

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Maconnais

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Verget Saint Veran Cote Rotie 2010

We agree with Burghound, this is an outstanding wine. La Côte Rôtie lies at the foot of the Roche de Vergisson, around the village of Davayé. The name comes from its very steep, rocky slope (over... read more

Product Code: 9135-750

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Maconnais

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Verget Pouilly Fuisse Terroir de Vergisson 2010

This was blended from some of the finest sites of Pouilly-Fuisse around Vergisson; La Roche, Les Charmes and Champs Rocher. The wine was fermented and matured in oak, 20% new, after spending seven... read more

Product Code: 9133-750

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Maconnais

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Verget Pouilly Fuisse Terroirs de Vergisson La Roche 2010

La Roche (the Rock) vineyard is one of those insider's secrets. This is an idyllic, high-altitude vineyard touching Pouilly-Fuissé with its vines feeding from some of the most limestone-enriched,... read more

Product Code: 9134-750

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Maconnais

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Domaine Verget

Guffens Heynen Le Chavigne Macon Pierreclos 2007

"A mildly oxidative nose that is presently difficult to evaluate and my estimated range assumes that this will be cleaned up before bottling. The rich, full and impressively intense flavors provide... read more

Product Code: 7824-750

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Maconnais

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Domaine Verget

Guffens Heynen Saint Veran Clos De Poncetys 2009

This small plot lies below the Vergisson rock and has been described by Guffens as the "Chevalier-Montrachet of Davaye" (the commune), no doubt in reference to the steepness of the site and the... read more

Product Code: 8928-750

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Maconnais

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Domaine Verget

Guffens Heynen Premier Jus De Chavigne Macon Pierreclos 2007

Light gold. Pungent aromas of pear skin, quince, toasty lees and minerals, with a strong floral quality adding complexity. Juicy, concentrated citrus and orchard fruit flavors stain the palate and... read more

Product Code: 7825-750

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Maconnais

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Domaine Verget

Guffens Heynen Tris des Hautes des Vignes Pouilly Fuisse 2007

This wine is a blend of free run juices of successive sortings of grapes from 'La Roche', 'Les Croux', 'Les Petits Croux' and 'Les Crays'. "A much more reserved nose requires considerable swirling... read more

Product Code: 7826-750