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Domaine Guerrin et fils

Founded in Vergisson in 1926, Domaine Guerrin et fils farms 14 hectares across more than 35 parcels in the Mâconnais. Bastien Guerrin's cellar uses natural yeast, less new oak, and longer élevage, with Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes showing old-vine Chardonnay, barrel fermentation, lees-derived roundness, and a dry mineral finish.

The producer

Domaine Guerrin et fils works rocky limestone parcels around Vergisson, between the Roc de Vergisson and Roc de Solutré, with vineyards reaching 400 metres. Bastien Guerrin's approach favours natural yeast fermentations, reduced new oak, and extended élevage. The estate's mineral-led whites retain ripe fruit without becoming overly rich.

Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes comes from low-yielding, 45-year-old Chardonnay vines and is fermented in barrel with extended lees contact. The 2023 wine shows white peach, citrus blossom, almond, nectarine, lemon zest, and brioche, with a rounded palate, integrated oak, mineral definition, and a dry finish. La Citadelle offers a more direct Coteaux Bourguignons expression from a 380-metre granite site in Leynes, fermented with native yeast in temperature-controlled stainless steel and matured for nine months, with citrus, mirabelle, pear, creamy roundness, and a crisp finish.

Known for

Mineral-led Mâconnais whites shaped by rocky limestone parcels, altitude, native yeast, older vines, and measured oak use.

Notable facts

The story

Bastien Guerrin changes the cellar after taking over

When Bastien Guerrin took over management from his father, he changed the way the domaine handled fermentation and élevage. Fermentations moved to natural yeast, the use of new oak was reduced, and the wines stayed longer in élevage. The changes can be followed bottle by bottle. Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes goes into barrel and remains with its lees, building a rounded texture, yeasty brioche aromas, and a dry finish. La Citadelle follows a cooler stainless-steel route, with native yeast and nine months of maturation before bottling. The same cellar therefore holds an old-vine Chardonnay with white peach, almond, nectarine, and lemon zest beside a Coteaux Bourguignons white marked by citrus, mirabelle, pear, and a snappy finish.

From the atlas

Domaine Guerrin et fils

At A Glance

Founded in 1926 in Vergisson, Domaine Guerrin et fils encompasses 14 hectares divided among more than 35 parcels between the Roc de Vergisson and Roc de Solutré in the Mâconnais. Its leading documented wine, Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes, is a dry 100% Chardonnay made from roughly 45-year-old vines. Coteaux Bourguignons La Citadelle takes a more direct path through stainless steel, native yeast, and nine months of maturation.

The Producer

Domaine Guerrin et fils is a family domaine in Vergisson, a village in the Mâconnais whose vineyards sit between two prominent limestone formations. The estate's fragmented shape is part of its character: more than 35 small parcels spread across 14 hectares give Bastien Guerrin a collection of sites instead of one uniform vineyard block.

Bastien now manages the domaine after taking over from his father. His cellar choices favour natural yeast fermentations, less new oak, and longer élevage. Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes carries those decisions most visibly, combining old-vine Chardonnay, barrel fermentation, lees contact, rounded texture, and a dry finish.

Place

Vergisson places Guerrin inside the Mâconnais, while Pouilly-Fuissé names the appellation attached to the domaine's most developed Chardonnay. The village address and the bottle name work together: the regional setting supplies warm, ripe fruit, while the elevated limestone parcels bring mineral definition and a firm line through the palate.

La Citadelle carries the broader Coteaux Bourguignons label context and is associated with a site in Leynes. Its named plot sits at 380 metres on granite with southwest exposure, giving this bottle a different physical frame from the limestone parcels around Vergisson.

Soil And Site

Several Guerrin parcels reach altitudes of up to 400 metres and contain rocky limestone soils. Those conditions are linked with mineral character and firm ripe fruit, so the wines can carry generous stone-fruit flavours without becoming heavy.

La Citadelle offers a separate site reading. The 380-metre Leynes parcel, with granite beneath southwest-facing vines, supports a white that combines ripe fruit and creamy roundness with citrus freshness and a snappy finish.

Story

The domaine began in Vergisson in 1926 and grew into a 14-hectare estate divided among more than 35 small parcels. The newer chapter belongs to Bastien Guerrin, whose management brought a change in cellar direction. Natural yeast fermentations, reduced new oak, and extended élevage now sit alongside the family's established work among the Mâconnais hills.

That change reaches the bottle. Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes receives barrel fermentation and extended lees contact, while La Citadelle is made in temperature-controlled stainless steel. The range therefore carries two different expressions of the same estate: one shaped by old vines and lees, the other by direct fruit and a cooler, more linear cellar route.

Vineyards And Cellar

Fourteen hectares divided among more than 35 parcels give the domaine a fine-grained vineyard base. Rocky limestone and altitude provide the setting for mineral-led wines with ripe fruit. Bastien's use of natural yeast keeps fermentation tied to the cellar's own microbial population, while reduced new oak leaves less overt wood flavour in the finished wines.

Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes comes from low-yielding vines around 45 years old. Barrel fermentation and work on the lees build a fuller middle palate, yeasty and brioche-like aromas, and a rounded texture that still finishes dry.

La Citadelle follows a more direct method. Temperature-controlled stainless steel protects its fruit, native yeast carries the fermentation, and nine months of maturation bring the wine to bottling with citrus, mirabelle, pear, and exotic-fruit character intact.

Wines

Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes sits at the developed end of the documented range. It is a white Chardonnay from older vines, with barrel fermentation and lees contact giving it white peach, citrus blossom, almond, nectarine, lemon zest, brioche, and a dry mineral finish. The oak is integrated, so the wine feels layered without turning sweet or heavy.

Les Deux Versants is another Pouilly-Fuissé expression. As it opens, nectarine, lemon zest, and brioche appear across the palate, with a measured relationship between fruit, minerality, and oak. Its shape is marked by a taut line and a clean, satisfying close.

Coteaux Bourguignons La Citadelle is the more direct, fruit-led bottle. Its stainless-steel fermentation and nine months of maturation support citrus, mirabelle, pear, and exotic notes, while creamy roundness gives way to crisp refreshment and a snappy texture.

In The Glass

Across the range, the first aromas move from white flowers, citrus, and stone fruit toward warmer notes of almond, brioche, mirabelle, and pear. The Vieilles Vignes gathers weight through barrel fermentation and lees contact, so its full-bodied middle feels rounded before mineral definition pulls the wine dry. Les Deux Versants carries nectarine and lemon through a more marked palate line, with oak folded into the fruit as the wine opens. La Citadelle feels softer at first, with creamy fruit and pear, then brightens into citrus and a brisk, croquant finish. Limestone, granite, vine age, yeast, oak, and maturation each leave a different trace in the mouth.

A Bottle To Understand It

Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes 2023 is the first bottle to open. It is 100% Chardonnay from roughly 45-year-old vines, fermented in barrel and worked on the lees. The glass begins with white peach, citrus blossom, and almond, then broadens into nectarine, lemon zest, and brioche. Its rounded texture and delicate oak are held in place by mineral definition and a dry finish. The bottle brings together the estate's grape, older vines, elevated limestone setting, and cellar work in one white wine.

Anecdote

When Bastien Guerrin took over management from his father, the cellar acquired a different set of instructions. Fermentations shifted to natural yeast, new oak was reduced, and élevage was extended. The changes do not produce one uniform texture across the range. Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes still goes into barrel and stays with its lees, gathering a rounded middle, yeasty brioche aromas, and a dry finish. La Citadelle takes another route, fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel with native yeast and maturing for nine months before bottling. In one cellar, an old-vine Pouilly-Fuissé carries almond, nectarine, and lemon zest while a Coteaux Bourguignons white shows citrus, mirabelle, pear, and a snappy finish.

Final Word

Guerrin's wines begin with the broken-up vineyards around Vergisson and finish with cellar choices that keep ripe fruit connected to mineral lift. Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes gives the most layered reading, while La Citadelle offers a brighter, more direct expression of fruit, site, and stainless-steel maturation.

Sources

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