Technical Notes
Jean-Marie Guffens of Verget continues his precise, terroir-driven approach in this inaugural vintage under the new Premier Cru classification of Pouilly-Fuiss. Fruit is hand-harvested from steep, limestone-rich slopes of Vergisson, where old Chardonnay vines cling to thin soils. Fermentation takes place with native yeasts in used French oak barrels, followed by levage on fine lees to enhance texture and complexity. The 2024 vintage delivered healthy, concentrated fruit with vibrant acidity, thanks to a cooler growing season.

Terroir Notes
Sur la Roche sits high on the rocky crest of Vergisson, one of the appellations most dramatic and mineral-driven terroirs. The soils are shallow and dominated by hard limestone, yielding wines with tension, salinity, and remarkable longevity. Exposure to ample sun ensures ripeness, while the elevation preserves freshness, creating a balance that defines the best of Pouilly-Fuiss.

Tasting Notes
The 2024 Sur la Roche opens with an expressive nose of white peach, lemon zest, crushed oyster shell, and subtle toast. On the palate, it is taut yet layered, showing precise citrus and stone fruit wrapped around a mineral core. Notes of chalk, almond blossom, and a gentle hint of spice from oak add complexity. The finish is long, saline, and mouthwatering, promising both immediate pleasure and great aging potential.

Style & Pairing
Elegant and chiseled, this is a Premier Cru Chardonnay that will shine alongside seared scallops, roast chicken with herbs, or creamy cheeses like Comt. While already impressive, it will reward 510 years in the cellar.

FOR COMPARISON

93+ Wine Advocate
Drink Date: 2025 – 2040
The 2023 Pouilly-Fuiss 1er Cru La Roche is terrific, unfurling in the glass with notes of pear, green apple, fresh mint, toasted nuts, white flowers and youthful reduction. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy, with lovely depth and purity, it concludes with a long, mineral finish. It will be even better with a bit of bottle age.
Domaine Guffens-Heynen may be the label that makes collectors line up in wait, but Maison Verget has long ranked as one of the Mconnais’s top addresses in its own right. The 2023 vintage, a strong rival to the house’s 2020 portfolio, only underlines that. As I’ve written before, Verget’s Sologny winery is a sizable facility, unlike the tiny cellars of Domaine Guffens-Heynen, but artisanal methods have been intelligently scaled to match the requirements of larger-scale production: large horizontal stainless steel tanks, for example, offer the same lees-wine ratio as oak barrels, and the lees can be worked with nitrogen without introducing any oxygen into the vessel. Such inventivenessand Desplans’s evident fastidiousnessexplain how Verget can offer such quality on such a scale. The best cuves very much belong among the Mconnais lite, but this portfolio is also rich with terrific values to purchase by the case, which would make ideal daily drinkers or by-the-glass pours. Published:Nov 07, 2024, Reviewed by: William Kelley

92pts Vinous (2023, 2024 NYR)
The 2023 Pouilly-Fuiss Sur La Roche 1er Cru has a bright, crisp nose with yellow fruit, finemineralitand vibrancy, a level up from Les Crays. The palate is very smooth and harmonious, slightly lower in acidity perhaps, yet there is tangible terroir expression, lightly spiced with impressive persistence on the finish. One of the most seductive cuves from Verget. Drinking Window: 2026-2038

– ByNeal MartinonJune 2025

Julian Desplans was on hand to guide me through the wines of Maison Verget and Domaine Jean-Marie Guffens, as the Belgian was down in Luberon. Guffens did send a message later on that he hadnt been told I was visiting. Desplans assured me that his boss was present for almost the entirety of the previous harvest.

Hail damaged four hectares of Maison Verget, Desplans told me, but the Domaines parcels were hardly affected. The main problem, certainly in Pierreclos, was the flowering. In 2024 we have fewer than 20,000 bottles, around 35% less than 2023, even though that was a good harvest for the Domaine. We cropped at around 45 hl/ha, which is less than some people around us who cropped at 100. The fruit was healthy. For the Domaine wines, we are close to 2020 as we didnt have such a huge harvest. The picking started around September 11 and finished at the end of the month. It was better to wait and not start too early. The levels of sugar were fine as it had been quite hot, and the wines are between 12.7% to 13.5% alcohol.

As I have written before, Guffens wines have been lavished with praise and have prices to match. The surrounding fanaticism seems odd after so many years when the wines were seen as simply great quality and value. Some of what I have read is hyperbole; however, there has never been any doubt that when Guffens and his team hit the bullseye, they achieve a level rarely equaled. There is some kind of magic there, derived from Guffens personality (as I discussed in my standalone piece a few years ago, aptly titled Refusing to Follow the Script). Desplans is almost the polar opposite of Guffens, seemingly unflappable and calm, though they share the same refreshingly candid opinions. I would agree that in 2023 the best quality resides with the Domaine wines, not least the Pouilly-Fuiss C.C. and the almost Coche-like Mcon-Pierreclos Juliette et Les Vieilles de Chavigne. These are brilliant wines and are imbued with an unerring ability to age.