Pouilly Fuissé Croux et Petits Croux, Domaine Guffens-Heynen 2024

Guffens produced five barrels of his 2024 Pouilly-Fuissé Croux et Petits Croux, a wine that entirely transcends the vintage. Unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, white currants, mandarin oil, buttered toast and hazelnuts, it's full-bodied, satiny and layered, with a dense, muscular, powerful palate, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Finishing up at fully 13.8% natural alcohol (which must be a record for the vintage), it's not as introverted as young wines from this site can be—but let's see how it develops in bottle.

The 2024 Pouilly-Fuissé Croux et Petits Croux is a great success, and one would scarcely suspect the complications imposed by the vintage from tasting it. Blossoming in the glass with aromas evocative of pear, peach, orange oil and white currant mingled with freshly baked bread and hazelnut, it segues into a full-bodied, deep and layered palate. Nicely concentrated and muscular, it is framed by chalky structuring extract and culminates in a long, saline finish. It’s an impressive achievement for the vintage, and one should not think twice before adding it to the cellar.