Verget Pouilly-Fuissé Le Haut de la Roche 2022

Located on the Roche de Vergisson, this exceptional vineyard missed out on Premier Cru status solely due to its altitude of 400 metres. Regardless, with its southeast exposure and stony limestone base, Jean-Marie Guffens considers the site far more worthy of the classification than many of the Mâcon’s new Premiers Crus. (Particularly considering global warming and the public’s thirst for fresher wines with lower alcohol.) The vines here were harvested at the very end of the vintage, with low yields bringing a marvellous core of compact fruit offset by a spine of ripe minerality and crunchy freshness. Vinified entirely in oak with 25% new barrels, it possesses excellent (1er Cru!) intensity and length, silky texture and tension, with a long, palate-scraping finish.