Macon Pierreclos Tris de Chavigne, Domaine Guffens-Heynen 2016

The fireworks really begin with the 2016 Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne, a fabulous wine that bursts from the glass with aromas of citrus zest, white flowers, wheat toast and oystershell. Broad but incisive, it's full-bodied, racy and multidimensional on the palate, with satiny texture and a long, electric finish. The combination of concentration with vivacity is masterful. This cuvée hails from parcels high on the slope that were harvested in multiple picks between the October 2 and 12—and having followed it from grape to bottle, I can attest that it's tasted fantastic at every step of the way. Drink 2018-2035.

Domaine Guffens-Heynen is one of the great domaines of Burgundy. Ample but incisive, concentrated but weightless, Guffens's wines represent the apotheosis of a grape and a place. To say they are the equal of the wines of Puligny-Montrachet or Meursault would be to do them a disservice, because they're all too frequently better.

The fruit is ripe the nose has richness depth the palate is creamy buttery with pineapple and pears. Mid freshness the rich fruit is underpinned by apple the back palate has lime and flint but it fills out on the finish with a rich mix of fruits. 2019-25

In 2016 Jean-Marie Guffens made an easy-drinking cuvée called "En Crazy" from the young vines and press wine of the other cuvées. He also made "Le Chavigne", which is a blend of different parcels picked around 30th September, as well as some press wine. However this cuvée - "Macon Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne" is sourced only from the parcels of vines on the highest part of the slopes which were picked in several "tris" between October 2nd and 12th. This is a very concentrated wine that reminds Jean-Marie of the 2010 vintage thanks to its combined richness and high acidity. Pale lemon in the glass, there are notes of struck flint and citrus zest underneath creamy, buttery stone fruits on the nose. The palate has good zip from the acidity, but this only serves to moderate rich, honeyed fruits and notes of freshly-buttered toast. Generous and round, this is gorgeous now, but that underlying acidity and savoury length hint at the potential to improve over the next 2 years.

The Tri de Chavigne is a step up in concentration and intensity over the regular “Le Chavigne”, revealing an incipiently complex bouquet of caremelized lemon, musk melon and smoke, framed by light reduction. On the palate, the wine is textural and incisive, its elegantly glossy attack underpinned by a taut line of acidity, its flavorful finish closing with chalky grip.