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| The space at Umami Concepts, with everyone focusing on the tasting. Chef Nolan at the far right. |
Pouilly-Fuissé with its 760 ha is the second largest appellation of Bourgogne, after Chablis, and it is twice the size of Meursault. Stylistically, Chablis has long been known for its minerality and racy freshness, Meursault for the roundness and structure, and Pouilly-Fuissé's appeal is its subtle and inimitable fruitiness and elegance. The appellation with average yield of 55 hl/ha is in the region of the Mâconnais, and made up of 4 communes, from north to south, Vergisson, Solutré-Pouilly, Fuissé and Chaintré. The diversity of the climates (in the weather-sense, rather) is such that the date of harvest could be a week different between Vergisson in the north and Chaintré in the south. The appellation is essentially planted on sedimentary limestone on top of a Jurassic-period granitic subsoil of 200 million years old, with various outcrops of clay, schist, granite and even volcanic soil.
Traditionally, Vergisson is a cooler site, but some microclimates do allow a good level of sunshine and warmth one the vines, especially the south-west or west facing slopes on the eastern part of the commune, such as La Maréchaude, well-sheltered from the wind, being at the foothills of the Roche de Vergisson, forming a heat trap to ripen the vines. Solutré-Pouilly is made up of Solutré to the west and the Pouilly part to the east, if you like, the grander sibling with the château and fancier houses. Clos de La Chapelle is a noteworthy climat here. Vers Cras is split between Pouilly and Fuissé. For example, Château de Beauregard's holding of Vers Cras is in Pouilly, rather than Fuissé and the soil is reddish-brown clay on top of fossilised limestone. Vers Cras continues into Fuissé which has a good share of both granitic and volcanic soils. Suppleness, richness and power are hallmarks of Fuissé wines. Some well-known climats are found in an amphitheatre setting of vineyards around the village Fuissé, including Les Vignes Blanches (east-facing, and a very high quality site), Les Ménétrières and Vers Pouilly (or Le Tournant de Pouilly at Domaine Ferret), all these on classic Bathonian limestone. Most of the vineyards of Chaintré face east or south, overlooking the Saône. Chaintré wines are well-exposed, with the best vineyards at an altitude. Some good examples are Vers Quarts and Les Chevrières, on the south side of the commune, with exposition SW - here you find red clay soil, with lots of stones of iron oxide.
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| Jean-Pierre on the screen, next to the Christmas tree |
Our eminently knowledgeable tutor (at the end of the internet connection) for the session Jean-Pierre Renard interviewed Frédéric Burrier of Château de Beauregard at the domaine's cellar and they tasted a 2001 La Maréchaude which showed notes of marmalade, but a brilliant colour and plenty of energy and freshness for a wine at 13 years of age, followed by a 1975 Vers Cras which still showed a bright golden colour, with lots of tertiary aromas of truffle, mushroom and dried fruit, but the freshness on the palate was impressive, for a Pouilly-Fuissé at 39 years of age! A phenomenal example of how well Pouilly-Fuissé can age!
We then tasted the 5 wines in sequence:
2012 Pouilly-Fuissé Clos de La Chapelle, Domaine de La Chapelle (Catherine et Pascal Rollet): From the commune of Pouilly, made from old vines planted in 1921. A very small crop vintage, with lots of concentration. The wine is already very approachable, showing a supple texture, aromatic complexity, a nice balance between the richness and the freshness, with aromas of pear, apricot and lemon and a generosity on the palate.
2011 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Chevrières, Domaine Dominique Cornin: From the commune of Chaintré, limestone with red clay on top, facing southwest. Vinified in barrels. Quite closed still, a little austere at the moment in terms of structure, green fruit and pear notes start to emerge with aeration. A lot of mineral tensions and nervosity on the palate, and a tight structure. This is made to last - to try again in a few years time. This domaine has been organically certified since 2009.
2010 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Vignes Blanches, Domaine Thibert Père et Fils: From the commune of Fuissé. Here the vines ripen very well in the amphitheatre setting, facing east/southeast, with the vineyard overlooking the village of Fuissé. 2010 is a magnificent vintage, with superb balance, tension, complexity and an invigorating energy that is incomparable. Initially a little close, but opens up a bit with aeration. It is showing a lovely roundness and supple structure, amidst a vibrant freshness, with aromas of floral, nuts, citrus and green fruit, and a lengthy finish. One of my favourites in this tasting.
2010 Pouilly-Fuissé En Servy, Domaine Denis Bouchacourt: From the commune of Solutré. This domaine started bottling its own wine in 2004. Vinified in enamel-lined vats. No influence of oak. Vines planted on steep slope, facing south. Some tropical notes here, such as mango and quince. Well-balanced, a bit more mellow in terms of acidity, clean and well-made, pure linear structure, finishes long.
2010 Pouilly-Fuissé La Maréchaude, Château de Beauregard: From the common of Vergisson. Here, the cool air in this commune is mitigated by the west/southwest exposure and wind shelter. All vines at the Château de Beauregard are hand-harvested. Single vineyard cuvée vinified in oak, with about 25% new oak. Beautiful balance, good tension, with a classy structure and depth of character. Needs time to develop. Another one of my favourites. This is one of the long-standing estates of Pouilly-Fuissé. 5 generations of Burriers have been at the château.
We did not taste 2013 nor 2014, but according to Jean-Pierre, 2014 was a fantastic vintage for whites in Bourgogne, with a lot of concentration and freshness. 2013 was challenging with the best producers delivering on balance and quality.
This live training was a great way to learn about the diversity of Bourgogne wines and in particular the diversity of Pouilly-Fuissé. There were visuals (the scenery from Bourgogne, the map of the region, the cellar visit by Jean-Pierre) and the actual tastings, all in one session. We continued to enjoy the wines with a delicious buffet prepared by Chef Nolan. I highly recommend the relaxed, inspiring and collaborative space at Umami Concepts. It really was a great place for such an educational evening....and everybody could go back to the wines, retry them as they evolved during the evening. Even better when the glasses were sponsored by Zalto!
Did we fall in love with Pouilly-Fuissé? I certainly did....and would love to see keep some of these bottles to see how they evolve over the next decade or longer. I would like to see more of these great examples of such extraordinary terroirs on restaurant wine lists. There is certainly no question about the value-quality that this appellation brings, and I hope will continue to bring, even in the event of some vineyards gaining their promotions! Fingers crossed!
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