Cordier Pouilly-Fuisse 2007
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Christophe Cordier is the third generation of his family to work the vines of southern Burgundy. His father, Roger Cordier, established the current family estate in 1968 in the village of Fuissé with only five hectares of vineyards, and Christophe joined him in 1987, determined to create great wines from the terroirs of the Maconnais. In an area known for simple, over-produced wines he has been one of the rare pioneers to study the soils and farm, vinify and bottle the best terroirs of the region.
Today, he farms and manages 30 hectares in clay and limestone soils, spread over 100 individual parcels and nine villages, which he bottles into 22 cuvees for Domaine Cordier and 10 for Christophe Cordier. All but one of his parcels is planted to Chardonnay. Eighteen of his holdings are situated in lieux-dits, with ten in AOC Pouilly-Fuissé alone.
The new winery, constructed in 2012, is impeccably kept and entirely temperature-controlled. Equipped with gravity-fed, stainless steel decanting tanks, two aging cellars for the barrels and one for foudres, both the space and modern equipment allow Christophe to meet his high standards for making “grands vins.”
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!