Guffens-Heynen Saint-Véran 'Premiers Jus' 2023

Out of thousands of continually changing different listings at Noble Rot, we've probably drunk more Guffens-Heynen wines than any other. These are world-class Burgundies that can easily rival the great Grand Crus of the Côte d’Or.

Now in his mid-sixties, Jean-Marie's story is a roller-coaster ride of epic highs and lows most people can only imagine, and is among the most remarkable of any winemaking great.

Whether tri-harvesting grapes from the same vineyard at different ripeness levels to add depth, or improvising élevage in an array of different barrels and tanks, Jean-Marie could be Mâconnais wine’s answer to Miles Davis – although, as a Pink Floyd devotee, he’d probably opt for Roger Waters instead.

Read the full story in 'Portrait of an Iconoclast' (Noble Rot, Issue 23). Better still, uncork one of Jean-Marie's scintillating new releases and revel in the tension, textural richness, and stony/chalky/saline minerality.

Made with free run juice, his Saint-Véran ‘Premiers Jus’ comes from ‘Clos des Poncetys’ (a steep, rocky vineyard just beneath the Vergisson rock that Guffens describes as the Chevalier-Montrachet of Davayé) and ‘Les Combes’ (on the south-facing Chessalas slope).