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Jean-Marie Guffens Mature Pouilly-Fuissé

BY NEAL MARTIN |&nbsp;AUGUST 21, 2023I have
been drinking and enjoying Jean-Marie Guffens’ wines for a quarter-century now.
With his larger-than-life personality and tendency to utter the utterable,
Guffens might not be everyone’s cup of tea. What cannot be denied is that he
has the magic touch when it comes to making wine, and over the last two or
three years, the demand for back vintages has dramatically increased. When I
visited the winery in Vergisson this June, Guffens kindly opened three bottles, and
fortunately, around a half ended up in my wine glass…the rest spilled over the
table.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1692371546236-pf+1990.jpg">The 1990
Pouilly-Fuissé La Roche is certainly one of the finest among numerous mature
bottles that I have tasted from Jean-Marie Guffens. There is a subtle reduction
on the nose that plays to its advantage before revealing enticing scents of
orange confit intermixed with oyster shell, Vervain and yellow flowers. Later,
I notice a taste of butteriness accentuated by aeration, slightly obscuring some
of its mineralité. The palate is well-balanced with citrus fruit,
rounded in texture with saffron-tinged yellow fruit. It has a nigh-perfect line
of acidity with a finish that echoes Muscadet. This is simply a delicious and
quite intellectual 33-year-old Pouilly-Fuissé that will continue to give
pleasure. 94/Drink 2023-2035. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1692371569195-pf+1998_copy.jpg">The 1998
Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Jus is a wine I have drunk a few times before.
Guffens remarked that he had encountered better bottles of this cuvée that, as implied
by its name, comes from the free-run plus first vin de presse from three
lieux-dits. The 1998 never fully clicks into fifth gear on the nose though you
can tell its potential. It shows lemon verbena and peach skin scents, but they’re
just a little smudged. The palate is rich, dense and intense, with a killer
line of acidity, but it doesn't gel on the finish. I'll put a question mark
against my score. 89?/Drink 2023-2030. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1692371590137-pf+2001_copy.jpg">The 2001
Pouilly-Fuissé Tri de Levroutés is one of my favourite cuvées from Guffens.
This has aged exceptionally well, with Mirabelle, dried honey, saffron and linseed
oil scents that are all exquisitely defined and focused. The palate is plump on
the entry, the residual sugar lending roundness and plushness, while the
acidity keeps everything on an even keel. Seamless texture, fanning out without
inhibition towards the finish, it is reminiscent of the sweet style of wines
from Thévenet over in Viré-Clessé. Superb. 95/Drink 2023-2043. © 2023, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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