The 2024 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Combes Vieilles Vignes is the king of the cellar chez Verget this year, and a wine that really transcends the vintage. Offering up notes of white flowers, peach, toasted nuts and spices, framed by a classy touch of reduction, it's medium- to full-bodied, deep and complete, with a multidimensional mid-palate and a long, penetrating finish. As is often the case, this parcel was picked in three successive passages (or "tris"), an approach normally reserved for the wines of Domaine Guffens-Heynen.
This may not be Premier Cru, but it is often Verget's top wine - albeit not quite as thick and viscous as Sur la Roche. The vines face both North (30%) and South (70%) and are 80 years old. Verget pick the grapes in three separate "tris" - as at Domaine Guffens. This leads to grapes of different ripeness and acidity levels. These are fermented separately and then blended together for oak ageing in barrel - of which 25% are new. In 2024 the yields were just 20 hl/ha with the 3 "tris" being picked over a 3 week period - so this is the smallest production ever here and one of which they are enormously proud. Bright silverish-lemon colour. The nose has really opened up in the few months since bottling, now showing ripe citrus through to peach, apricot and even mango - it is incredibly powerful and reminiscent of Jean-Marie's domaine wines. The palate is plump in texture and rich in fruit and dry extract. The power unfurls in waves, bringing the same myriad of fruit, oily power and smoky, spicy wood. Hugely impressive in its textural density, with air this wine grows and grows. The finish is minutes long, showing real promise and a creamy, generous profile. The best wine made chez Verget this year.
Julian Desplans (wine maker and right-hand man of Jean-Marie Guffens) says that the 2024 Verget wines have both minerality and power. Picked from September 10th to 28th. They are reminiscent of the 2010 and 2014 vintages.
