Joseph Burrier Pouilly-Fuisse La Marechaude 2013
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The Burriers have been a prominent winegrowing family in southern Burgundy since the 15th Century and have owned Chateau de Beauregard in Pouilly-Fuissé for six generations. Frédéric-Marc Burrier is the family member in charge of the chateau, and runs the négociant business, Maison Joseph Burrier, which was named for his grandfather. In 2015, Maison Joseph Burrier purchased a stake in Domaine de la Rochette in nearby Bussières; a location that Frédéric-Marc identified as the ideal location for high quality, terroir-driven Macon white wine. As the president of the local winegrower’s association, Frédéric has been one of the leading advocates for classifying the Pouilly-Fuissé region’s best climats as premier crus. Frédéric has been focused on identifying the best single-vineyard sites since the mid-1990s and more than a dozen different Pouilly-Fuissés are produced today, along with wines from Macon, St-Véran, Fleurie, and Moulin-à-Vent.
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!