Croux et Petits Croux
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted sea bass, creamy mushroom risotto, veal chops in white wine sauce
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the steep, limestone-rich slopes of Vergisson, the Pouilly-Fuissé 'Croux et Petits Croux' is a masterclass in tension and concentration by the iconoclastic Jean-Marie Guffens. This cuvée blends fruit from the historic 'Croux' and 'Petits Croux' parcels, situated on east-facing clay-limestone soils that catch the morning sun. Guffens' uncompromising approach shines here: harvesting in multiple meticulous passes ('tries') to capture perfect maturity, followed by natural yeast fermentation and extended aging on the lees in oak barrels. The result is a monumental white Burgundy that defies regional hierarchies, balancing rich stone fruit and citrus notes with a profound, chalky minerality and a saline, driving finish that rivals the grand crus of the Côte d'Or.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1979 by Flemish visionaries Jean-Marie Guffens and Maine Heynen, Domaine Guffens-Heynen transformed the viticultural perception of the southern Mâconnais. Spanning just over 5.3 hectares across the limestone-rich slopes of Vergisson, Pierreclos, and Davayé, the estate operates on a philosophy of meticulous canopy management, strict yield restrictions, and zero chemical treatments, strictly independent of formal certification regimes. Harvests are carried out across multiple manual passes to secure fruit at pristine physiological ripeness. In the cellar, Guffens employs gentle parcel-by-parcel extractions using a vintage vertical press, rigorous separation of press fractions (yielding his signature 'Premiers Jus' bottlings), native yeast fermentations, and extended lees aging in French oak with minimal batonnage. Benchmark bottlings such as Mâcon-Pierreclos Le Chavigne, Juliette et les Vieilles de Chavigne, and Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Cru Sur la Roche embody an unmistakable masterclass of dramatic power, crystalline acidity, and singular mineral tension that rivals the greatest white burgundies of the Côte de Beaune.
🍇 Grapes
Chardonnay
🍷 ABV
13.5-14.5%