Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Pouilly-Fuisse Clos Reyssie comes from a bona fide clos with more clayey soils than Cornin’s other cuvees. It has a fragrant, nicely defined bouquet with touches of white peach and brioche. The palate is a little fuller than the other Pouilly-Fuisse wines from Cornin thanks to maturation in the Burgundy barrel, but the finish has fine definition and tension. Very fine.
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Wine & Spirits
From vines planted in 1937 on a slope above Chaintre, this is farmed by Dominique and Romain Cornin under biodynamic principles. They produced a lean Pouilly-Fuisse in 2011, with notes of chamomile, yeasty bread and dried fruit. It feels soft and mature, ready to drink with grilled salmon or roast pork.
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!