Lavernette J.J. de Boissieu 2022: best of fourteen

The first pour gave very little away. Ripe peach, a touch of apricot, moderate intensity, and I was halfway to writing “modest”. Then it kept moving: apple pie, marzipan, rosemary, and a white-tea note I rarely meet in Pouilly-Fuissé. With air came black pepper and wet stone.

That glass of Château de Lavernette Pouilly-Fuissé, the Cuvée Jean-Jacques de Boissieu 2022, turned out to be the top wine of my tasting. I opened it in 2024 alongside thirteen other bottles for my Pouilly-Fuissé guide, where it gets five lines. Here I want to find out where that quality comes from, and what you will find on the shelf today, because it is no longer the same bottle.

Tasting Note

Tasting Note

Appearance

Medium yellow with a golden tint.

Nose

Reserved at first, then complex and constantly shifting. Ripe peach, apricot and pineapple. A pastry note of apple pie and marzipan, with rosemary and an unusual hint of white tea alongside. As it opens: black pepper, wet stone, butter and toast.

Palate

Dry and full-bodied, mouth-filling, with high acidity that parries the rich fruit. The whole nose comes back on the palate.

Finish

Spicy and savoury, impressively long, with minerals and spice.

Quality

The best of the fourteen. Power and finesse in one glass, pure and expressive, with nothing given up along the way.

A château on the border

Château de Lavernette sits between Leynes and Chaintré, right where the Mâconnais gives way to Beaujolais. Chaintré is the southernmost village of the appellation. Pieksman and the Guide Hachette both trace the estate’s history back to 1596; today it belongs to the de Boissieu family, who farm 13.5 hectares of Beaujolais, regional Burgundy and Pouilly-Fuissé.

Xavier de Boissieu runs it with his wife Kerrie and his parents Bertrand and Anke. Anke de Boissieu-van Bergen is Dutch by birth. The cuvée honours an ancestor, Jean-Jacques de Boissieu, an eighteenth-century engraver and painter.

Biodynamics with a certificate

The estate has farmed organically since 2005 and is now biodynamic, certified on both counts: AB and Demeter, through Ecocert. Biodynamics is organic farming that follows its own calendar and uses its own preparations for soil and vine. Pieksman also lists the wine as vin nature.

The vines for this cuvée are 51 years old, face south to south-west, and grow on clay and limestone. Picking is by hand. In Pouilly-Fuissé the estate owns two climats, Maison de Villard in Chaintré and Vers Châne in Fuissé, both on hard limestone.

The oak, and a correction to my guide

In the guide I wrote that neither of the two standout bottles owed its place to oak. For Lavernette I need to qualify that. Pieksman describes a gentle pressing, a slow spontaneous fermentation and twenty months on the lees in old wooden casks. For the 2023, the Guide Hachette mentions sixteen months in barrel. I could not find the exact figure for the 2022.

Old wood adds little flavour of its own, which fits what I tasted: butter and toast only arrived with air, and stayed in the background.

Before you buy

Two reservations. The first is that this wine needs time. On the pour the nose was only moderately intense, and if you drink it fridge-cold from a small glass you miss the best part. For the 2023, the Guide Hachette recommends serving at 12 to 14 degrees and drinking between 2028 and 2035. Give it a large glass or a decanter.

The second is that the bottle I tasted is no longer on sale. Pieksman now stocks the 2023 at €36.57 (importer’s price, September 2026). That vintage earned a coup de cœur in the 2026 Guide Hachette, but I have not tasted it. You would be buying on the estate’s track record.

On price it sits next to Domaine des Trois Dames (€36.95 in my guide), the other standout of the tasting. The Alexis Pollier costs €33.95 and is rounder and more immediate, but lacks this length. It is not cheap, and it earns the price.

At the table

Full body and high acidity make this a wine for the table. Think seared scallops, lobster, or guinea fowl with herbs. The savoury, spicy finish will also stand up to a mushroom risotto.

The verdict

The Château de Lavernette Pouilly-Fuissé J.J. de Boissieu 2022 was the best of fourteen, and after digging into the estate I understand why. Old vines, certified biodynamics and a long rest on old wood give a wine that is full and taut at the same time.

Buy the 2023 if you are willing to wait, or at least to give it time in the glass. If you want something that opens up tonight, pick the Pollier instead.

Producer

Château de Lavernette

Wine

Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée Jean-Jacques de Boissieu

Vintage

2022

Region

Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy

Grape

Chardonnay

Vineyard

51-year-old vines, south to south-west, clay and limestone

Ageing

On the lees in old wooden casks

Alcohol

Not stated by producer or importer

Certification

AB and Demeter (Ecocert)

Importer

Pieksman

Price

€36.57 for the 2023 (September 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Is Château de Lavernette certified biodynamic?

Yes. The estate is certified organic (AB) and biodynamic (Demeter), both through Ecocert. It has farmed organically since 2005.

Can you still buy the 2022?

Not at Pieksman: the shop now lists the 2023 at €36.57 (September 2026). I have not tasted that vintage. The 2026 Guide Hachette gave it a coup de cœur.

When should you drink this Pouilly-Fuissé?

Not cold and not in a hurry. For the 2023, the Guide Hachette suggests 12 to 14 degrees and a drinking window of 2028 to 2035. If you open one now, give it air in a large glass or decanter.

Sources

• Pieksman, product page Pouilly-Fuissé J.J. de Boissieu: pieksman.com
• Guide Hachette des Vins, Château de Lavernette Cuvée Jean-Jacques de Boissieu 2023: hachette-vins.com
• Guide Hachette des Vins, producer profile Château de Lavernette: hachette-vins.com
• Pouilly-Fuissé producers’ directory (Château de Lavernette): pouilly-fuisse.net

This bottle was sent as a press sample by Pieksman for my Pouilly-Fuissé guide. No payment was involved and the verdict is independent.