Verget Saint Veran Lieu Inter Dit 2023 750ml

Appellation/Category: Saint-Veran

Grape Variety: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13.5%

Volume: 750ml

Taste: Medium to full-bodied, with a broad, full-bodied attack, rich and intense flavor, chalky notes, and a lingering finish.

Wine Advocate 92 pts—

The 2023 Saint-Veran Lieu (Inter)dit has turned out nicely, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear, confit citrus, white flowers, toasted nuts and iodine. Medium to full-bodied, its broad and ample attack segues into a racy, concentrated and chalky palate. 

Vinous 91 pts—

The 2O23 Saint-Veran Lieu (Inter)dit is mostly from a lieu-dit that has the same name as a famous Northern Rhone appellation beginning with C and is not Cornas. Lovely aromas of yellow plum, jasmine and crushed stone emerge,verywell defined and focused.The palate is fresh and sapid,lightly spicedwitha brightandpowerful finish that lingers in the mouth.Very fine.Classy.

Jean-Marie Guffens is a winemaker who was able to elevate the lesser-known Macon white wine to the level of other top-tier white wine producing areas. His winery's Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon was once recommended by the comic book "Water Drop". Among the exorbitantly priced white wines of Burgundy, the emergence of Verget proves that Burgundy still has affordable and authentic options.

Because the vineyard's Climat name, Le Cote Rotie, is similar to Cote Rotie in Beilong, Jean-Marie Guffens chose Lieu (Inter)dit, meaning "Forbidden place," to avoid confusion. Although Masion Verget is a wine merchant, it is managed by Jean-Marie Guffens, known as the "Master in the Art of Chardonnay." He personally inspects the vineyards of his contracted growers to ensure that their cultivation methods and quality meet requirements. He selects vineyard locations, adheres to low yields, and relies heavily on old vines. As a result, the quality of his white wines never worries wine lovers.

This blend is a combination of grapes from two Climat parcels, Le Cote Rotie and Les Terres Noires. Les Terres Noires, with its old vines in the area, provides a rich mouthfeel, while Le Cote Rotie's terroir lends a fine minerality. Using only freerun juice, this wine is intense and focused. Aged for seven months in oak barrels, it offers notes of lemon, pineapple, and passion fruit, with notes of ripe tropical fruit from Chassagne Montrachet, a buttery Cremay from Mesurault, the deft acidity of Puligny Montrachets, and the minerality of Chablis.