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Domaine Gouffier, Bourgogne Chardonnay “Cuvée Roche”

Burgundy, France 2017 (750mL)
$30.00
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Domaine Gouffier, Bourgogne Chardonnay “Cuvée Roche”

Over the last few years, we’ve been keeping a close eye on Domaine Gouffier, and they’ve consistently rewarded us with superb, exceptional-value Burgundies. Although the domaine itself is quite historic, the two partners at the helm today, Frédéric Gueugneau and Benoit Pagot, are prime examples of the wave of new-generation talent and energy that is sweeping through Burgundy—especially in under-explored precincts like the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâcon.
Appellations like Mercurey and Rully are the kinds of places where upstart producers without deep pockets or family connections can still get a piece of the Burgundy pie, and today’s sleek and sophisticated Bourgogne Blanc is an opportunity seized. It started, as many of the best new-generation wines do, with a commitment to organic farming, which was Frédéric’s first order of business upon taking over the property in 2011. He and Benoit sold off some vineyards, kept their favorites, and poured all their energy into extracting the most pristine fruit possible from them. They also obsess over barrels, using only a single cooper based in Cognac, and the attention to detail is evident in a Bourgogne Chardonnay that out-performs wines costing twice as much. “Cuvée Roche” combines crystalline precision and opulence in a way that demands you sit up and take notice: These guys are a force to be reckoned with!
Their backstory is interesting as well: Domaine Gouffier has more than 200 years of history in Fontaines, a village sandwiched between Rully and Mercurey in the Côte Chalonnaise. The vaulted stone cellar is spectacular, and is believed to have been used as a bunker during the Napoleonic Wars. Many generations of the Gouffier family ran the wine estate over the years, and Frédéric, a native of Fontaines, worked for Jerome Gouffier before moving away. Frédéric spent eight years in Chablis at the acclaimed La Chablisienne but moved back to Fontaines to assist Gouffier when Jerome became ill. He eventually took over day-to-day operations, and, when Jerome passed away, took full control of the property at the behest of the Gouffier family.

He and Benoit, an enologist, took stock of the existing vineyards and held onto 5.5 hectares across eight appellations, which they immediately converted to organic viticulture. The “first” vintage from the new regime was 2014, and they’ve been moving from strength to strength ever since. Today’s Bourgogne Blanc perhaps best exemplifies their approach: it is sourced from two far-flung vineyards with similar profiles, one in Mercurey and one in the Mâcon, the former lending some serious mineral depth and the latter contributing some well-rounded fruit depth. “Cuvée Roche” then aged in 20% new French barrels (crafted by the aforementioned Cognac cooper, from oak sourced in the Côte Chalonnaise) with extended lees contact.

The result is a wine which, to put it bluntly, tastes more expensive than it is. That’s always the Holy Grail for me, and the whole SommSelect team did a double-take when this 2017 hit the table. In the glass, it’s a pale yellow-gold with green and silver reflections, with seductive aromas of ripe yellow apple, pear, lemon curd, fresh cream, white flowers, chalk, and wet stones. Medium to medium-plus in body, with live-wire acidity igniting the salivary response, this really is the total Burgundy Chardonnay package—its seamless melding of opulent texture, bright aromas, and freshness is exactly why Chardonnay is the favored white grape of so many sommeliers. Decant it 15-30 minutes before serving in all-purpose white wine stems at 50 degrees, and whether it’s chicken, fish, pork…prepare to be wowed. This is really a golden age of “Bourgogne”-level wines, and no one’s happier about that than me! Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceCôte Chalonnaise & Mâcon
Soil
Clay & Limestone
Farming
Organic
Blend
Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
20% New French
TEMP.
45-50
Glassware
All-Purpose Whites
Drinking
Now-2027
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Skillet-Fried Chicken

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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