Chateau Fuisse Pouilly-Fuisse Le Clos 2015
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The 2015 Pouilly-Fuisse Le Clos displays a pale yellow color with hints of green and a nice brilliance. Crisp on the nose, ripe and powerful, with aromas of toasted bread, fresh almonds and hints of fresh butter. The wine shows lots of finesse and elegance, white flowers and some mineral. On the palate, the wine is dense and concentrated, powerful with the beautiful complexity of the vintage. Ripe and crisp. The finish is long, rich and elegant at the time.
Try pairing with Noble fish varieties (sole, turbot), Bresse poultry with morels and cream sauce, veal.
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Wine Spectator
This is opulent, with a smoky, toasty cast to the peach, lemon and stone flavors. Tightens up midpalate, where the vibrant structure takes over. Builds to a lingering aftertaste of lemon, spice and mineral. Drink now through 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Pouilly Fuisse le Clos is the only bona fide walled vineyard (2.69 hectares) in Fuisse that contains a variety of soils ranging from deep clay at the bottom, marne in the mid-slope and limestone at the top. The vines range from 40 to 87 years old and have been blended together since the 2014 vintage. Le Clos is matured in around 75% new oak; one-year-old barrels are employed for the limestone soils. It has a very fine bouquet, with hints of wild honey, quince, marmalade and a touch of apricot conserve that gains intensity with continued aeration. The palate is well balanced with a brisk, lightly spiced entry, just a tang originating from a seam of orange rind, with a potent nutmeg and hazelnut-driven finish that is very harmonious. Clearly the standout cuvee from Château Fuisse this year.
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A 15th Century tower flanks Chateau Fuisse, a family home whose history is evidenced by a number of 300 year old artifacts and adornment. The estate of Chateau Fuisse includes vines exceeding 60 years of age that are vinified and bottled separately as Vieilles Vignes -a remarkably powerful, intense Chardonnay with aging capability of up to 15 years or more in bottle. The "normal" Chateau Fuisse is also a selection from older vines at least 25 years of age, and as a rule is focused and concentrated, rich yet very firmly held together. From the estate, three further bottlings come from individual plots or climates: Le Clos, a profound, powerful Chardonnay from the dense clay enclosure behind the chateau; Les Combettes, a superbly aromatic wine of great finesse from a very stony calcareous clay slope; and Les Brules, a south facing slope "burnt" by the sun. All the wines bearing the chateau label are barrel fermented in various oaks. The current owner and winemaker is Jean-Jacques Vincent, great-grandson of the founder, now assisted by his daughter Benedicte. A professor of enology, Jean-Jacques is as alert to modern innovations as he is loyal to proven traditional methods.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The source of some of the most sought-after white wines of the Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé is produced exclusively from the Chardonnay grape and tends to be slightly richer in style than wines from its northern neighbor, the Côte de Beaune—mainly due to warmer weather. Wines from Pouilly-Fuissé have some versatility; they can be enjoyed young and can also often improve with a little time in the cellar. Pouilly-Fuissé wines are considered some of the best values for white Burgundy.
Similar to the Côte de Beaune, the soils of Pouilly-Fuissé are mainly limestone and clay. The appellation includes the communes of Fuissé, Solutré (which includes Pouilly), Vergisson and Chaintré. The richest Chardonnay comes from Fuissé and Solutré-Pouilly, whereas the Chardonnay at higher elevation, from Vergisson, expresses more minerality and finesse. Pairing Pouilly-Fuissé with lobster or King Crab will bring great joy not only to your palate—but also your pocketbook!