Pouilly-Loché Maconnais, Burgundy 4 Items Follow

A center of viticulture since Roman times, Pouilly-Loché sits east of Pouilly-Fuissé in front of a beautiful backdrop of the hills of Solutré and Vergisson. Attesting to the continuous vitality of viticulture in Pouilly-Loché, many of its cellars date back to the 17th century.

Within Pouilly-Loché, which is also part of Pouilly-Vinzelles, the wines of each of its many lieux-dits (small vineyard areas) claim distinct personalities because of extreme soil variations within this small area. In its northern end, soils are older schists and sandstones, which retain heat. In the south, towards Vinzelles, Pouilly-Loché claims cooler, iron-rich, clay-limestone soils resembling those of the rest of Vinzelles to the south.

Within the variations, a great Pouilly-Loché (always made of Chardonnay) often has characteristics reminiscent of honey, acacia, apricot and grapefruit; with age these will veer towards pear, quince, dried fruit, hazelnut and ginger. These pair perfectly with roasted or tandoori chicken, guinea fowl and olives or fresh water fish dishes.