2021 Pouilly Fuisse Clos de France

The 2021 Pouilly-Fuissé Clos de France 1er Cru, a 0.23 ha parcel just below the house of Jean-Marie Guffens sited on hard limestone rock, has a superb, stony, precise bouquet - my favorite from Olivier Merlin this year (despite Guffens' pouring scorn in the climat when I visit the following day). The palate is slightly reduced, which Merlin mentioned is always the case. There is impressive depth and focus, an almost animated Pouilly-Fuissé. It's intense towards the finish, furnished with fleeting notes of lemon thyme.