This ‘Grand Cru’ Luberon white is drawn from a single plot of Chardonnay on Tourette’s l’Aigle terroir, a limestone plateau where the Chardonnay grapes stand out for their intensity and freshness. From here, Guffens believes he can craft prestige, age-worthy Chardonnays from the south and to back up this claim, he releases the wines five years after the harvest.

Aware of the natural richness and density gifted by his terroir, Jean-Marie chooses to vinify only the purest and naturally tense free-run juices. Then he favours a short aging in barrels (25% new) for eight months, before subsequent aging in concrete vats, only on fine lees, for around 10 additional months.

It opens with the creamy-textured richness of the south and flavours of yellow-fleshed fruits, sweet baking spice and a wisp of smoky reduction.

It is seductively mouth-filling on the palate, with juicy succulence and some nutty complexity pierced by tight but balanced acidity.

This type of hearty, open-textured Chardonnay is a bit of an endangered species these days. In this case, there is plenty of the classic Guffens purity and lingering mineral tension to balance the layers. It is drinking beautifully now.