| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Burgundy > Mâconnais |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
Guffens produced five barrels of his 2024 Pouilly-Fuissé Croux et Petits Croux, a wine that entirely transcends the vintage. Unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white currants, mandarin oil, buttered toast and hazelnuts, it's full-bodied, satiny and layered, with a dense, muscular, powerful palate, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Finishing up at fully 13.8% natural alcohol (which must be a record for the vintage), it's not as introverted as young wines from this site can be—but let's see how it develops in bottle.
The 2024 Pouilly-Fuissé Croux et Petits Croux is a great success, and one would scarcely suspect the complications imposed by the vintage from tasting it. Blossoming in the glass with aromas evocative of pear, peach, orange oil and white currant mingled with freshly baked bread and hazelnut, it segues into a full-bodied, deep and layered palate. Nicely concentrated and muscular, it is framed by chalky structuring extract and culminates in a long, saline finish. It’s an impressive achievement for the vintage, and one should not think twice before adding it to the cellar.
This year, just 4 barrels of this legendary wine will be produced. The grapes were picked on the last day of the harvest and were just as ripe as they were in 2023. He finds it so strange that this great terroir was not designated to be a Premier Cru by the authorities that he jokes that they must be holding it back to become the first Grand Cru of the Maconnais! Shiny lemon colour with buttery peaches, struck flint, poached pear and creamy, layered spices on the nose - this is expansive and piercing at once. The palate is so powerful and deep but never heavy, with a mind-boggling array of fruit and non-fruit character already coming throuhg. A powerhouse that is spicy, rich, textural yet seamless and built around acid freshness and grip, this is an incredible, nascent wine that once again cements this bottling as the greatest in the Maconnais.
Jean-Marie told us that he had high hopes of making 2024s that were as good as his 2014s - but he thinks that they have actually turned out even better.
