Verget Pouilly-Fuissue Les Combes Vieilles Vignes 2023

Located in Solutré-Pouilly, Les Combes is one of Jean-Marie Guffens’s favourite vineyards, a bias that makes perfect sense when you see the vineyard and taste the wines. The oldest vines were planted in 1915 and face north. Another parcel of vines, a mere 70 years old, faces south. Each parcel is picked and vinified separately before blending. Guffens maintains that the resulting whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. Incidentally, the soils here are clay and limestone, with a higher proportion of clay than most in this area (bringing power), and it’s therefore one of the few Verget wines to ferment entirely in oak barrels (only 25% new).