Region | |
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Subregion | France > Southern France |
Colour | White |
Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Guffens au Sud
A blend combining Guffen's press wine from Domaine Guffens-Heynen, Sémillon from his Château Closiot in Barsac and Viognier from his Château de Tourettes in the Lubéron, the 2019 Vin de France Triangle de Guffens is a wine without precedent. Mingling aromas of yellow orchard fruit, pear, beeswax, dried white flowers and apricots, it's full-bodied, satiny and seamless, its enveloping core of fruit underpinned by lively acids. But perhaps what's most impressive is that no one of its constituents dominates the final blend. Bottled under screwcap, I suspect its longevity will surprise us.
This unique, alchemical wine is a blend of Chardonnay, Semillon, Viognier and Roussanne. Designated a Vin de France, the grapes come from Jean-Marie Guffens' three estates in the Maconnais, Barsac and the Luberon. Total production just 600 cases. The nose is a heady concoction of ripe peach and apricots, intermingling with blood orange, pithy lemons and yoghurt. There are palpable elements of all four varieties in the fragrant aromas. The palate starts with the peaches and cream of Viognier, bringing oily depth and fleshy fruit. There is textural weight and structure reminiscent of Roussanne and Semillon, before savoury, flinty notes add waves of Chardonnay, but again remind of Semillon. It is easy to get tied in knots between the varieties as you taste through this wine, flitting from one to the other as the kaleidoscopic flavours intermingle with the texture, acid and alcohol. This would be a real brute to serve blind, something we definitely intend to do! At its heart, it is a fleshy, sumptuous white that is ideally suited to drink over the next two years while the fruit is vibrant and powerful.
Thoroughly enjoyed this 2018 Triangle de Guffens, a blend of Maconnais, Barsac and Luberon from Jean-Marie Guffens. Could have been a mess in less talented hands. This actually tasted even better the second day after opening.