Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Pouilly Fuissé Vieilles Vignes, whose vines date back to 1929 in the vineyard of "Le Clos" and is blended with "Vignes Blanche" and "Perrières," was cropped at 20 hectoliters per hectare and vinified in new oak. It has a well-defined nose that assimilates with the new wood well (better than Le Clos) with scents of dried honey, quince, citrus peel, hazelnut and cumin. The palate is well-balanced with crisp tannins, the oak well-integrated with a gradual build to a powerful saline, quite spicy finish that lingers long after the wine has departed. Excellent.
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Wine Enthusiast
Round and full-bodied, the wine is dominated by wood-aging flavors. That masks the fruit at this stage, leaving the impression of a wine that is still to focus and bring out the impressive ripe fruits and mineral structure. Give it until 2017 to pull itself together.
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!