In: La Revue des Vins de France | september 2026
A leading figure in the Mâconnais winemaking region, Jean-Marie Guffens purchased Closiot in 2017. A passionate Sauternes enthusiast, considering it one of the world's greatest wines, he chose the limestone soils of Barsac, ideal for imparting the concentration he cherishes while maintaining a vibrant tension. Exploring original stylistic approaches, his sweet wines are exquisite, and his dry whites, based on Sémillon, are truly memorable. They establish themselves with panache and passion as new benchmarks for the appellation. In 2025, Jean-Marie Guffens acquired a significant portion of the vineyards belonging to his neighbor, Château Piada. The profound aesthetic depth of his Bordeaux commitment was further illuminated in April 2026 by a tasting of all the wines produced since his arrival at Closiot - avision that more than justifies the second star we are awarding today to both the wines and the estate.
The wines: based on the last pressings, the 2025 dry Bordeaux is a substantial, straightforward, and fleshy white wine, more so than refined, capable of enthusiastically accompanying a wide range of gastronomic occasions. With its pronounced lemon zest, the 2024 C de Sec expresses itself with great vivacity, a penetrating youthful intensity that still hides behind the reduction. The evolution of the first vintages of this cuvée—2018, 2019, and 2020, delicious now, richly textured and fragrant—inspires confidence. The 2025 Barsac, which includes Tries from Piada, shows enormous promise. The 2018 and 2022 vintages remain the most accomplished to date, with dazzling intensity and purity of liqueur, reaching a kind of climax in Les Dames de Bonneau, a sort of "top cream" that pushes the roasted notes even further. The strength of flavor of these massive yet masterfully defined, smooth, luminous and vibrant wines remains etched in the drinker's memory!