Recently announced was the elevation of several vineyards in the Maconnais appellation of Pouilly Fuisse to the ranks of Burgundy Premiere Cru’s. A step that many believed long overdue with others seeing only higher prices on the horizon.
For me, the wonderful white chardonnays of Pouilly- Fuisse have long been my go to wine and I’ve always believed that the region can deliver some of the best value white wine in the world. My producer of choice was invariably Louis Jadot whose wines may not be the best the region has to offer, but at least they are the most widely available and also for the price of around $20 (I lived in the states) it represents great value and consistency even through challenging vintages.
On a trip to Burgundy in 2019 I was however interested to see what else was out there, and I was not disappointed.
The area consists of beautiful rolling vineyards set in the quiet ambience of an agricultural environment straight out of the last century. The only prominent feature is the dramatic Roche du Solutre which can be seen from every part of the region and asserts itself like a sphynx overlooking its lands. We are at the furthest south of the Maconnais with Beaujolais literally across the hills, and as we drove toward Pouilly-Fuisse we came across a distressing fork in the road that required a decision. I was reminded of an American baseball player named Yogi Bera who famously said that he too came across a fork in the road, and took it.
Good life lesson maybe but on a practical basis Pouilly was to the right or Fuisse to the left.
On nothing but a whim we took the road to Fuisse and quite serendipitously drove right to Chateau Fuisse itself. Unannounced, and without appointment I did what I always do, I parked in the medieval courtyard and, not being able to find anyone, I walked into the front door trying to attract attention. This led up a spiral staircase into a large oaked room in the 15th century tower to which I was now committed. On the first floor is a room replete with antiques, tapestries an impressive fireplace and even a suit of armour that was looking threateningly in my direction. I then noticed, that cleaning the fireplace, was a wonderful lady who turned out to be Benedicte, family member, commercial manager, and sister to the winemaker Antoine Vincent. Her English was of course perfect, but I had to pass the test of trying.
After muddling through an introduction in my very best French, she took pity on me, and we were invited to join a tasting with two very accommodating Dutch people who had actually taken the time to book an appointment.
We duly tasted the fantastic range of wines they had on offer including two that are now Premiere Cru’s. Les Clos 2015 and Les Brules 2016 of which I bought a case of each. It was pretty clear that these represented a very different experience to the Louis Jadot I’d been drinking all these years. These wines were fuller, richer, and characterised by a firm minerality cunningly disguised by an almost tropical character. Very precise, very good quality wines that have experienced sunshine on south facing limestone slopes and matured in new oak on their lees for 9 months. These wines would not at all be embarrassed in the company of their more prestigious, and very much more expensive cousins up the road in Meursault and Montrachet.
By showing enthusiasm for wine, a little knowledge and attempting to communicate at least in some French, I find that winemakers are a friendly bunch once you crack the code. And so it was with Benedicte with whom we subsequently spent several hours visiting the winery, cellar and especially her pride and joy, the now elevated Les Clos vineyard immediately adjacent to the Chateau.
Like quality producers throughout Burgundy she was critical of the peripatetic, fractional owners of some of the vineyards. They have little care for quality and simply leverage the Pouilly- Fuisse brand to sell their wines without putting in the care and attention that her, and many other established families do to uphold and advance the reputation of the region.
Which brings me to the newly minted Premiere Cru status. Given the lack of a classification system, consumers had no way of differentiating wines on the basis of quality, which was Benedicte’s point.
As of 2020 however, 22 lieux dits, representing 24% of the total AOC area will now be a step above the rest. This is a long time coming and simply puts the Maconnais on a step toward the hierarchy enjoyed by the rest of Burgundy for centuries, and rightfully so.
So good news for consumers and producers. We should see an increase in overall quality but I also wonder how long it will take before we see prices increase for these 1er Cru’s for what is essentially, exactly the same wine as we were drinking before?
Here are the names of the top producers to look out for according to Decanter
Magazine together with some of their best wines:
• Chateau FUISSÉ – Le Clos and Les Combettes
• Domaine ERIC FOREST – Le Roche and 1er Cru Les Reisses
• Domaine JA FERRET – 1er Cru Les Menetrières
• Domaine LEFLAIVE – En Vigneraie and La Chaneau
• Domaine THIBERT
• Domaine BARRAUD
• Domaine GUFFENS-HEYNEN
• ROC DES BOUTIRES