2024 Verget Macon-Pierreclos, Maconnais

The regular 2024 Mâcon-Pierreclos is a strong performer, mingling notes of pear and bread dough with an attractive touch of reduction. Medium-bodied, lively and impressively deep and fleshy for the year, it's produced from old vines facing Le Chavigne.

89 points William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

The 2024 Mâcon-Pierreclos comes from parcels with less limestone and more sand that tend to ripen later and was vinified in stainless steel. It has a perfumed nose with touches of grilled walnut and sea spray scents. The palate is fresh and taut, one of the more minerally cuvées with a positive reduction on the finish. Cellar this for three or four years if you can.

91 points Neal Martin, Vinous

Sitting at the crossroads between the Mâconnais and Beaujolais, Mâcon-Pierreclos owes its fame to Jean-Marie Guffens, whose wines under the Guffens-Heynen label (mainly from the Le Chavigne lieu-dit) match the best of the Côte de Beaune for intensity and character. So, it’s great to see this vineyard now appear under the Verget label. This négoce bottling is made from low-yielding vines over 50 years old. 

Jean-Marie Guffens founded Verget in 1990 and quickly established it as one of the Mâconnais' most respected names. His approach is centred on selecting exceptional Chardonnay from carefully chosen vineyards, producing wines with generous fruit, freshness and a distinctive sense of place. The Mâcon-Pierreclos is a lovely example of how much character can be found in the region's village wines.

Pierreclos lies in the northern Mâconnais, where limestone and clay soils, rolling hills and favourable vineyard exposures create excellent conditions for Chardonnay. The cooler, challenging 2024 vintage favoured wines with lively acidity and finely defined fruit, giving this bottling an appealing combination of freshness and gentle richness.

Bright pale straw with soft golden reflections. Ripe pear, yellow apple and white peach mingle with lemon blossom, fresh almond and a touch of citrus zest. The palate is juicy and beautifully balanced, with succulent orchard fruit, a rounded texture and refreshing acidity. Subtle notes of crushed stone and toasted hazelnut lead into a clean, gently savoury finish.

Try it with grilled garfish and salsa verde, crispy tofu with ginger and sesame, or a warm leek and potato tart with crème fraîche. Its easygoing richness also makes it a lovely match for prawn and sweetcorn dumplings.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2030. Particularly appealing for its youthful fruit and freshness.