Critic ratings
robert_parker
2011
Rating:
91
–91
The 2011 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne is already open and expressive, wafting from the glass with scents of pear, fresh pastry, green apple and a deft touch of oak vanillin. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and open-knit, with succulent acids, a charming core of fruit, and a nicely defined finish. Guffens describes 2011 as a vintage with a little bit too much crop, a little bit too hot and then a bit too rainy. "We missed a great vintage, but it's a good all-rounder."
robert_parker
2010
Rating:
94
–94
The 2010 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne is a youthful but brilliant rendition of this cuvée, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus oil, green pear, white flowers and pastry cream. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, elegantly satiny and immensely incisive, with a racy spine of acidity, terrific depth at the core and a long, chalky finish. At one point, I drank over a case of this wine, and this bottle was just as great as I remember it.
robert_parker
2008
Rating:
92
–92
Aromas of honeyed mandarins, beeswax, musky peach, drawn butter and crisp yellow orchard fruit preface the 2008 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne, a medium to full-bodied, textural but racy wine with the creamy but incisive profile that characterizes this vintage chez Guffens, concluding with a long, elegantly exotic finish. This was Guffens's least favorite wine in the flight, as he finds the high levels of lactic acid that followed malolactic fermentation aromatically distracting.
robert_parker
2004
Rating:
93
–93
Aromas of wheat toast, iodine, mandarin and confit lemon introduce the 2004 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne, a full-bodied, incisive and muscular wine, its textural attack segueing into a racy, tensile palate underpinned by chalky extract and concluding with a penetrating and delicately honeyed finish. Tasted from magnum, this is a serious, concentrated wine that's in its prime today.
robert_parker
2002
Rating:
94
–94
The 2002 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne is showing as well as ever, bursting with notes of honeyed citrus oil, mandarins, yellow orchard fruit and hints of iodine. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with an elegantly textural attack, tangy acids and a nicely defined, penetrating finish. This is the first vintage of "Tri de Chavigne" that Guffens produced.
robert_parker
2018
Rating:
93
–93
The 2018 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with notes of citrus oil, crisp Anjou pear, blanched almonds, white flowers and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's searingly intense, with an elegantly textural attack and a racy spine of acidity. Still tightly wound after its recent bottling, this has a long and glorious future ahead of it. This cuvée was produced from three picks—spread over the course of 12 days—in Guffens's higher-altitude holdings in Le Chavigne, and it was raised in barrels, some 30% of which were new.
robert_parker
2023
Rating:
93
–95
It's an open question whether the 2023 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne or its 2020 counterpart will turn out to be superior—and given that 2020 ranks as one of Guffens's greatest vintages of the last 40 decades, that's saying something. Bursting with aromas of white peach, confit citrus and exotic fruits mingled with white flowers and toasted nuts, the 2023 appears to be the more demonstrative of the two, with a medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled palate framed by terrific structuring dry extract. Anyone who has the opportunity to buy it by the case shouldn't hesitate, as it is a classic in the making.
robert_parker
2016
Rating:
94
–94
The fireworks really begin with the 2016 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne, a fabulous wine that bursts from the glass with aromas of citrus zest, white flowers, wheat toast and oystershell. Broad but incisive, it's full-bodied, racy and multidimensional on the palate, with satiny texture and a long, electric finish. The combination of concentration with vivacity is masterful. This cuvée hails from parcels high on the slope that were harvested in multiple picks between the October 2 and 12—and having followed it from grape to bottle, I can attest that it's tasted fantastic at every step of the way.
robert_parker
2013
Rating:
94
–94
The 2013 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne, which was picked in three or four tries around 18 to 20 October, is showing even better than it did a few years ago. Offering up notes of crisp yellow orchard fruit, oyster shell, mandarin oil and freshly baked bread, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, with racy acids and a long, penetrating finish.
