Verget : Saint-Véran Village "Lieu (Inter)Dit" 2024

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Saint-Véran Village "Lieu (Inter)Dit" 2024

Tasting notes

Colour
The colour reveals a pale to golden yellow hue, with crystalline clarity and lovely brightness.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet reveals notes of pear, fresh citrus such as lemon and green apple, along with candied citrus fruits. It then opens onto floral touches of acacia and honeysuckle, complemented by nuances of hazelnut, toasted almond and a hint of iodine.

Palate
The attack is full-bodied, unfolding flavours of ripe fruit. The palate offers a silky, satiny texture, supported by lively acidity and a chalky mineral backbone. The finish is long, saline and delicately honeyed.

Food and wine pairing

This white wine pairs perfectly with poached or pan-seared oily fish, shellfish such as crab or shrimp, and raw preparations like ceviche. It also complements seafood or mushroom risottos, herb-roasted poultry, or simply prepared seasonal vegetables such as asparagus. As for cheese, it pairs well with goat cheeses, hard cheeses (Comté, Beaufort, Gruyère) and Bleu de Bresse.

Serving and cellaring

For optimal tasting, this wine should be served at a temperature between 10 and 12°C. Ready to drink now, it can also be cellared to develop until around 2035.

The precision and mineral expression of a Saint-Véran white wine crafted by Verget

The estate

Founded in 1990 by the Belgian Jean-Marie Guffens, the négociant house Verget is based in Sologny, in the Mâconnais, south of Burgundy. From its earliest days, the estate distinguished itself through its commitment to revealing the potential of sometimes overlooked terroirs, applying a minimal-intervention philosophy and achieving very low yields. Today, Jean-Marie Guffens still leads the estate, working closely with winemaker Julien Desplans, who took over operational responsibility in 2016. Together, they continue to produce authentic wines.

The vineyard

The grapes for this Saint-Véran come from the commune of Davayé, located on the eastern slopes of the appellation. The vines are mainly sourced from the historic Côte-Rôtie plot, complemented by a touch from the Terres Noires climat. The terroir is characterised by stony Cretaceous limestone soils, rich in marine fossils, along with clay-limestone formations dotted with flint deposits. The name of the cuvée refers to the ban on using the historic term "Côte-Rôtie" on the label, in order to avoid any confusion with the Rhône appellation. Vine training relies on strict control of vigour to achieve very low yields.

The vintage

The year 2024 was marked by particularly challenging weather conditions. This vintage stands out as one of the wettest ever recorded in the region, combined with historically low sunshine for the twenty-first century. Despite these climatic challenges, the growing cycle resulted in moderate ripeness levels, yielding berries with lovely freshness.

Winemaking and aging

The creation of the Saint-Véran Village "Lieu (Inter)Dit" 2024 begins with harvesting carried out in several passes to pick the berries at optimal phenolic ripeness. Pressing is meticulous, accompanied by regular tastings of the juice. Vinification is carried out plot by plot, in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and in barrels, using indigenous yeasts. Aging continues on the lees with regular stirring (bâtonnage) to bring texture, followed by a few months of refinement in uncoated concrete vats.

Grape variety

Chardonnay (100%).