Marie-Pierre Manciat Pouilly Fuisse Les Petites Bruyeres 2016
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The 2016 Pouilly Fuisse les Petites Bruyeres has quite a punchy, enticing bouquet with Golden Delicious, orange pith and slight waxy scents, though I would have liked to see a little more delineation here. The palate is fresh and vibrant with Clementine, white pepper and a tang of ginger that becomes quite pronounced with continued aeration. Give this a year or two in bottle as it has something up its sleeve.
Rating: 90+
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Her father, Claude Manciat, was one of the top producers in the Maconnais area. Up until the early 1980s when he took over, the Manciat wines were mainly sold in bulk to local negociants, but Claude decided that he wanted to focus on making and bottling his own wines. Due to his meticulous viticulture and vinification techniques, he has been able to attain a high level of quality, translating into exceptional purity and texture apparent in the wines produced. In addition to practicing sustainable agriculture, the Manciats are among the few remaining vignerons in the Macon that still harvest by hand.
Before taking over for her parents, Marie-Pierre had her own pet project, named Lacrochette-Manciat, which she started in 1991. Initially she rented vineyards; then, year after year, she was able to start purchasing parcels, which now amount to 9 hectares. Since taking over for her parents, Marie-Pierre has set her sights high and has tried to better the estate. She now maintains 22 hectares with every bit of the passion she began with, and each year it is reaffirmed with the birth of a new vintage. As she says, this job teaches you to be humble every day—winemakers simply help develop what nature gives them.
She also believes in the importance of being respectful of terroir. She believes that the soil greatly affects the grapes, and that the resulting wine is a direct representation of quality of the soil. Marie-Pierre lets each area express itself according to its personality, and each of her wines are aged differently, in either stainless steel tanks or oak barrels. In the end, she believes that wine is above all else, a refreshing drink. This is why she strives to create a harmony between depth, complexity, minerality, and drinkability in all of her wines.
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!