Wine Advisor
Guffens Heynen, Macon Pierreclos Juliette et les Vieilles de Chavigne 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
A prodigious wine, the 2020 Mâcon-Pierreclos Juliette et les Vieilles de Chavigne is the latest rendition of a cuvée based on juice from a parcel of almost 20-year-old vines named "Juliette" (a former aviator, inter alia, Guffens enumerates his various parcels in lieu-dit Chavigne using the phonetic alphabet). Stunted in the 2003 heatwave, it thus produced immensely concentrated fruit and was blended with juice from old vines in neighboring parcels. Wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, citrus zest, mirabelle plum, mint, almond paste, freshly baked bread and iodine, it's full-bodied, satiny and seamless, with a deep, multi-dimensional core, racy acids and a long, resonant finish. Given its huge reserves of structure and concentration, it will likely shut down after bottling, much as previous iterations have tended to do, only to reemerge slowly in five or six years' time. But make no mistake, it is a remarkable bottle of white Burgundy.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 Mâcon-Pierreclos Juliette et Les Vieilles de Chavigne has an almost rambunctious bouquet with heady scents of orange blossom, lemon rind, struck match and flinty undertones. Stick around, and there are fleeting glimpses of jasmine and Japanese matcha. The palate is very harmonious with a slightly waxy texture, hints of orange rind, stem ginger and light sour lemon notes that combine on its extremely persistent finish. This Pouilly-Fuissé just shimmers with tension.
About the Producer
Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen is renowned as a Chardonnay master, who has played a crucial role in enhancing the reputation of Mâconnais wines. Through the success of his small Vergisson domain, this region has become a notable destination for wine lovers. In the 1970s, Jean-Marie and his wife Maine made the bold decision to leave their native Flanders. Within three years, they became the owners of several plots on the slopes of Pierreclos. Today, their vineyard spans 5.3 hectares across the hillsides of Pierreclos, Vergisson, and Davayé. The vines are treated with natural methods, without any chemicals, and grapes are hand-harvested only when they reach optimal maturity, sometimes in several stages. In the cellar, the grapes are gently pressed and left to ferment naturally with native yeast. The wine is then aged on the lees and never filtered. This simple, natural approach has earned Guffens-Heynen's wines a solid reputation for their purity, precision, generosity, tension, and minerality. They have become highly sought-after, but difficult to procure due to the low production quantities. Jean-Marie Guffens-Heynen's colorful personality is well-known not only in the Mâconnais but also as the owner of Domaine des Tourettes in the Lubéron (since 1997) and Château Closiot in Sauternes (since 2017). Domaine Guffens-Heynen has established itself as the ultimate reference in the Mâconnais, and Jean-Marie's talents in the vineyard are universally acknowledged. His mastery of Chardonnay has given new life to this region. Highly respected by his peers, praised by critics, and fervently sought-after by wine enthusiasts, Jean-Marie's wines have long stood out for their quality.
