Winemaker Notes
The lieu-dit of “Les Mures” is considered to be the finest example of the appellation, though this is due in part to the absence of the Clos des Rocs Monopole cru from the market for many years prior to Olivier’s arrival on the scene. Rankings aside, the 40-year vines and limestone-rich soil of “Les Mures” (situated immediately next to the Clos des Rocs) produce an undeniably fine wine with persistent minerality marked by notes of lemon confit, and finishing with exceptional length. Elevage is half each in cuve and neutral barrel for one year, and this is a true example of a vin de garde from the estate.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Pouilly-Loché Les Mures exhibits an attractive bouquet of green pear, white flowers, oatmeal and peaches. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and fleshy, with a charming and expressive core of fruit, ripe acids and a nicely defined finish. Succulent and open-knit, it's already drinking well.
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.
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.