Les Combes Vieilles Vignes remains the jewel of Jean-Marie's Verget bottlings. Though the vineyard was not awarded Premier Cru status due to some of the aspect facing in the "wrong" direction (which offers a cooling effect that may well be a significant advantage as the climate changes), the wines produced here are of the very highest quality. The vines are more than 70 years old on average, producing few bunches of small berries. Vinified from free run juice, fermented and aged in roughly 25% new French oak. Volumes are down significantly this year due to frost. Pale straw colour. Very complex on the nose - confit lemon and marmalade come together with smoky richness and an earthy ginger-like quality. Visceral and layered on the palate, this manages concentration, freshness, breadth and depth. The earthy edge to the fruit suggests a hint of botrytis in this wine, though it is of course bone dry. Saffron, apricot and ripe peach linger with a hint of baking spices, cedar and wood smoke on the finish. Excellent.
A site that suffered from both frost and hail, the 2021 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Combes Vieilles Vignes unwinds in the glass with notes of fresh bread, citrus oil, confit orange and beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and lively, it doesn't exhibit the persistence of the best vintages, but it's a creditable effort in trying circumstances.