Winemaker Notes
The Pouilly-Fuissé is a blend of the best vineyard parcels with 10- to 35-year-old vines from the Fuissé amphitheater of limestone and clay soils. Each parcel is vinified separately to ensure the finest expression of the fruit. Half the wine is fermented in enameled tanks and half in used oak barrels.
Subtle notes include minerals, yellow fruits, flowers, fresh hazelnuts and spices, with an intense finish. The perfect equilibrium of this wine allows it to retain its vibrancy with age.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Crisp yet luscious with racy acidity and a rich mineral component; fresh, balanced, long, and lively in classic Chardonnay style.
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Wine Enthusiast
From a selection of parcels, this wine is packed with attractive fruit. Ripe apples, crisp citrus and a hint of rich yellow fruits come together to give a wine that is already delicious and refreshing.
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Wine Spectator
A dense center shapes this solid white, featuring white peach, lemon and apple flavors that take on spice and mineral accents. Intense and long, with a lingering, tangy finish. Drink now through 2023.
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Decanter
Classy, light-on-its-feet expression with tantalising floral nose, tingling acidity and pretty saline and mineral seam through fresh white fruits palate.
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!