Maconnais

Hailing from the nearby commune of Fuissé, this bottling comes from the En Vers Chânes vineyard in which Olivier owns a mere quarter of a hectare of 45-year-old vines. The high altitude (400 meters) and sandy limestone of this site produce a wine of striking poise and penetrating minerality, and Olivier’s measured aging regimen of 50% steel and 50% used barrels contributes a richness of texture without sacrificing zip.

Incredible value here. Estate vines sit 1,140 feet in altitude, facing southeast. ‘La Roche’ directly borders Pouilly-Fuissé ‘La Roche,’ that appellation’s highest (and most prized) vineyard. Soils are solid white limestone, with very little topsoil. Vines planted between 1982 and 1985.

Hand-harvested. Pressed full cluster; juice placed in temperature-controlled tanks overnight to settle; transferred via gravity to older French oak barrels to ferment on indigenous yeasts. Aged in barrel for 12 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Perhaps the greatest value in premium white Burgundy today. Located on the slope of the Roche de Solutré (one of two ancient reefs that dramatically mark the landscape of Vergisson), ‘En Buland’ faces northeast (thus excluding it from Premier Cru status though its considered one of the finest sites). Soils mix limestone and clay. Vines planted in 1934.

Les "Hauts de Fuissé" comes from two vineyard plots, "Longs poils" and "Scélés", which are located in the village of Fuissé in the heart of the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation.

The vines have been planted since the 1980s, well after the creation of the appellation in 1929, hence the classification as ''Mâcon''. The vines face due east on clay-limestone soils giving dense and complex wines.

From the importer: With its three hectares of 85-year-old Chardonnay, the Clos des Rocs produces a Pouilly-Loché like no other. Its due-easterly exposition allows for optimal ripeness, and its iron-streaked calcareous topsoil extends a mere 30 centimeters before reaching limestone mother-rock. Aged 13 months in used barrels, this wine—in true grand-cru-like fashion—synthesizes the positive attributes of all its cellarmates: gleaming acidity, fine but tunneling minerality, and stunning concentration. With their low levels of sulfur and their open-knit generosity, Olivier’s wines are never forbidding in their youth, but this deserves some time in bottle to properly unfurl its multilayered complexity.

Insider alert! This is the domaine of Anne Ramonet's family. Anne is the ex-wife of Jean-Claude Ramonet, and Anne and Jean-Claude's daughters make the wines at both spots! Some of the original plantings from 1872 may be in THIS wine with an average vine age of over 90+ years!

Fermentation occurs naturally with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled cuves. Malolactic fermentation begins in the Spring with the help of the bacteria present in the lees. Wine ages on its lees for 8-10 months in stainless steel before bottling. Vine age of 15 - 30 years on clay and limestone soils.

This wine comes from a 3-hectare Clos managed under sustainable practices with no use of herbicides. The east-facing vines are 70 years old. The shallow terroir consists of reddish soil mixed with limestone stones, with bedrock often found just 30 cm below.

After manual harvesting, the grapes are pressed slowly. A light static settling is performed to retain as much material as possible before fermentation, which is often very long. This process occurs thanks to the indigenous yeasts naturally present on the grapes. No additives, except for meticulously added sulfites, interfere with the birth of this wine.

The wine has a powerful nose, delicate with notes of hawthorn and pears. The palate is round and generous with ripe fruit, supported by balance and purity. A truly great wine for aging, already pleasant to taste.

92 Points! This marvelously incisive Pouilly-Fuissé is a blend of two parcels in Vergisson with two different soil types; both are cool terroirs that bring an exotic tropical note of passionfruit and pomelo to the wine along with a strong mineral underpinning. The texture has a lively acidity, but there is real ripeness to give the wines a delicious dynamic balance. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters, and the juice is fermented in older oak casks. - Decanter Magazine

Located on the slope of the Roche de Solutré (one of two ancient reefs that dramatically mark the landscape of Vergisson), ‘En Buland’ faces northeast. Soils mix limestone and clay. Vines planted in 1934. Hand-harvested. Pressed full cluster; juice placed in
temperature-controlled tanks overnight to settle; transferred via gravity to French oak barrels to ferment on indigenous yeasts. Aged in barrel (20% new oak) for 12 months; after racking, the wine ages an additional three months in tank. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

93 Points! The king of the cellar chez Cornin is the 2021 Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Chevrières, a lovely wine redolent of stone fruits, orange zest, pear, musky spices, flowers and honey, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and satiny palate that's lively, seamless and complete. Spared by both frost and hail, it's a great success. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

Eric Forest is one of the top names in Vergisson today. Heir to eight generations of family talent and trained early by local legend Jean-Marie Guffens, Eric’s wines are shining examples of the potential and serious pleasure of white Burgundy from the Mâconnais.

A unique, south-facing vineyard in which a majority of vines are 100 years old or older, ‘Le Clos des Charmes’ is more than charming; it’s a piece of both Vergisson history and Forest family lore. As a monopole (a vineyard owned by just one tenant), ‘Le Clos’ holds a special place in Forest’s portfolio. A rich, vibrant and textured white Burgundy wine.