It is hard to choose between the magical Macon-Pierreclos Juliette et les Vieilles de Chavigne and the superb 2018 Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Jus des Hautes des Vignes—a cuvée produced from the first free juice deriving from Guffens's holdings in La Roche (which accounts for some 60% of the blend) and Les Croux—and it would be easy to anoint either as the wine of the vintage in the Maconnais. Opening in the glass with aromas of pear, citrus oil, confit lemon, wheat toast, beeswax and petrol, it's full-bodied, textural and incisive, with a deep and concentrated core, striking levels of chalky dry extract and a long, penetrating finish. Still an infant, it will only begin to show all its cards after a decade in the cellar.

A magnificent wine, produced from the first pressing of Guffens' highest altitude, stoniest parcels, the 2015 Pouilly-Fuissé Premier Jus des Hautes Vignes reveals a profound bouquet of preserved citrus, grilled tangerine and white flowers, with subtle top notes of wheat toast, petrol, smoke and empyreumatic aromas reminiscent of Barsac (Guffens in fact describes this as "a dry Barsac"). On the palate, the wine is amazingly multidimensional, intense and textural, marrying tongue-tingling tension with striking volume and amplitude which persists through the long, penetrating finish.