Pouilly Fuisse

Camille Paquet, whose family own Domaine des Valanges, is a young winemaker with an extremely bright future. Camille makes wines in a tauter style than his father, Michel, tending to pick earlier and use less SO2. His Pouilly-Fuissé hails from thirty-year-old vines on a propitious south-east facing slope, and is matured for 12 months in oak barrels, 10% of them new. It combines mouth-watering acidity with a generous mouthfeel, and flamboyant citrus, stone and tropical fruit aromas indicative of the warm 2015 vintage. There’s a tremendous saline character to the long finish, which calls for another sip. This is drinking brilliantly now, but with the attributes to age gracefully for a further three year at least. Drink now - 2020.
Will Heslop, Wine Buyer

Arguably the most classic and the longest lived of the three Pouilly-Fuiss cuvees, this is perfectly poised throughout. Silky fruit abounds, but there is a tight structure too before the long finish kicks in.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

The wizard of the Mconnais has produced a great range of wines in 2010 from his 14 hectare domaine, supplemented by some purchased grapes from certain appellations such as Pouilly-Fuiss. There are few more reflective and meticulous producers in the Mconnais than the Merlins, who form a great partnership with Oliviers nervous energy supported by Corinnes unflagging calm.

The Vieilles Vignes cuvée was formerly known as Terroir de Fuissé. This is the heartland of Pouilly- Fuissé, delivering the richest wines of the appellation – as this bottling shows. It has lovely weight, with classical, dense white fruit, fine balancing acidity and a succulent finish.

Olivier concurs with the view that 2014 is a top vintage for white wines. The weather was good throughout the harvest, so he was able to pick each vineyard at a time of his choosing. There has also been some evolution within the range, with the introduction of an excellent new cuvée, Pouilly-Fuissé, Les Chevrières.

The fruit is mostly from 75- to 80-year-old vines in the village of Fuissé. These south-facing plots are chalky but also reach high temperatures in the summer. The wine is broad-shouldered and powerful, yet with spine-tingling acidity. Packed with ripe peach, apricot and a flinty mineral feel, this is weighty without being clumsy. Drink 2020-2024.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Olivier and Corinne Merlin have been established in the Mâconnais village of La Roche Vineuse since 1987. Over the years they have bought the domaine which they originally rented, built a new cuverie, planted new vineyards locally and spread out into further appellations such as Pouilly-Fuissé and Moulin-à-Vent. Theirs has been one of the great success stories of the modern Mâconnais. They expect to be joined shortly by sons Théo and Paul. Having made his first wines in 1987, this year represents Olivier’s 30th vintage in La Roche Vineuse. It is fair to say that in this time he has contributed much to raising standards in the Mâconnais. Proof of his great skill as a winemaker came in the form of a bottle of 1990 Mâcon La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes, a highlight of a lunch at Berry Bros. & Rudd in July to mark Jasper Morris’s retirement.

Primrose in colour, this has an immediately pleasing, floral nose. With lively, generous fruit, there is plenty of energy here; very good weight at the back of the palate and a perfectly judged fruit- acid balance, leading to a fine quality finish. Drink 2019-2022.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Olivier, who normally picks after his neighbours, was out harvesting before them this year, starting at the end of August. The hot, dry wind in that period really concentrated both the sugars and the acidity in the grapes. Everything ripened rapidly so Olivier made sure to privilege his best terroirs, and completed the harvest in five fewer days than usual. 

This cuvée was undergoing malolactic fermentation when we tasted so it was very difficult to assess and will be revisited in January. It comes from a cool, airy site in Vergisson, which coped well with a sunny summer.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Olivier, who normally picks after his neighbours, was out harvesting before them this year, starting at the end of August. The hot, dry wind in that period really concentrated both the sugars and the acidity in the grapes. Everything ripened rapidly so Olivier made sure to privilege his best terroirs, and completed the harvest in five fewer days than usual. 

Formerly known as Terroir de Fuissé, there is a little bit of luxury in this, with some musk and a lovely saline quality that gets one to salivate. Mouth-filling, yet with nervous tension and superb length. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Poor spring with difficult flowering, though this varied from one vineyard to another. Old vines suffered worse. The reds were later to flower, with better results, and for the first time were picked after the whites, which needed to be harvested quickly before rot set in. The balance of the whites has ended up quite similar to 2012, with the same acidity but the fruit more exuberant in style. One technical note on quality: Olivier presses his whites for much longer now, which intensifies the dry extract and will preserve longevity.

This is a cool site which produces wines of tension and freshness. True to form, there is plenty of energy and verve here, a certain deftness but it is not lacking in fruit ripeness. The finish has a lovely chewy bitterness that gives the thirst for another sip. Drink 2020-2024.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer
 
Grandfather Bret bought this property in Vinzelles in 1947. In 2000 Jean-Philippe and Jean-Guillaume Bret took their vineyards out of the local co-operative and established Domaine de la Soufrandière with four hectares of vines in Pouilly-Vinzelles. They also have a négociant business, Bret Brothers. Their vines are, mostly, on a perfectly situated eastfacing slope of Vinzelles called Les Quarts, on Bajocian limestone with a high silica/quartz content. They are organic and biodynamic. The Bret brothers dub 2016 a “vigneron’s vintage”, which is to say that the key was to be in the vines. The hail on 13th April did significant damage but hard work in the vineyards (spraying biodynamic treatments from a backpack) paid off and ensured quality fruit. The Brets have added new vineyards in St Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé to the Soufrandière domaine, thus the whole range we buy is now from estate-grown fruit.

The opposite side of the coin to Chatenay, Au Vignerais produces a much broader, more masculine style thanks to its red clay soils and the vines’ tendency to produce small, concentrated berries. Only two barrels were made this year. Almost golden, it is rich, dense and spicy, with pleasing minerality. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Grandfather Bret bought this property in Vinzelles in 1947. In 2000 Jean-Philippe and Jean-Guillaume Bret took their vineyards out of the local co-operative and established Domaine de la Soufrandière with four hectares of vines in Pouilly-Vinzelles. They also have a négociant business, Bret Brothers. Their vines are, mostly, on a perfectly situated eastfacing slope of Vinzelles called Les Quarts, on Bajocian limestone with a high silica/quartz content. They are organic and biodynamic. The Bret brothers dub 2016 a “vigneron’s vintage”, which is to say that the key was to be in the vines. The hail on 13th April did significant damage but hard work in the vineyards (spraying biodynamic treatments from a backpack) paid off and ensured quality fruit. The Brets have added new vineyards in St Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé to the Soufrandière domaine, thus the whole range we buy is now from estate-grown fruit.

The 2016 Clos des Quarts has a wonderfully precise, mineral feel to it. There is great power here, but it is restrained, and reminiscent of a fine Grand Cru Chablis, Les Clos. The old vines provide a wonderful nervous intensity and ensure the consistency of this wine, regardless of the vintage’s climatic conditions. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Chateau des Quarts was created in 2012 by two of our favourite vignerons, Dominique Lafon and Olivier Merlin, who are old friends. The vineyard is managed by Olivier Merlin and the wine made in his facility at La Roche Vineuse. This monopole vineyard of 2.23 hectares in Chaintré is surrounded by a high stone wall, facing east, overlooking the Saône valley. In 2017, the oldest vines celebrated their centenary. The key to their longevity is riparia rootstock and an oldschool training and pruning regime. Olivier Merlin chose to harvest the Clos des Quarts vines before his own, on 29th and 30th August, starting each day at dawn and finishing at lunchtime, so as not to pick during the heat of the day. As the note shows, this policy has paid off. Yields were acceptable, but the fine late summer weather has concentrated the juice admirably.

Notably thin soils mean Vers Cras can suffer in hot years like 2015, but performs brilliantly in cooler years like ’16. Its citrus nose and taut, mineral palate are hugely appealing, while a dose of 20% new oak adds a seductive buttery note to the long finish.
Will Heslop, Wine Buyer

An underlying sense of power denotes this wine. Full, ripe and dynamic, it provides mouthfuls of energetic fruit and a touch of lime blossom which enlivens the classy bouquet.

Château des Quarts in Pouilly-Fuissé is a monopole site, with a large percentage of old vines going back to 1917, regarded as the appellation’s best terroir. Since 2012, the property has been in the hands of Olivier Merlin (“the wizard of the Mâconnais”) and Dominique Lafon (perhaps one of the best white winemakers in the world).

Very graceful on the nose, this has a sense of real class with some luxurious, opulent notes pushing through. It has the typically sunny feeling of wines from Chaintré and there is huge weight through the middle, backed up by some classy and well integrated oak. This is seriously delicious wine with exceptional weight behind.
 

Pale lemon in colour, this has a fine, elegant, floral nose, immediately classy. The fruit stretches out beautifully across the mid-palate, remaining fresh all the way through, with perfect poise and no sign of the heat of the year. Drink 2019-2022.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Olivier Merlin chose to harvest the Clos des Quarts before his own vines, on 29th and 30th August, starting each day at dawn and finishing at lunchtime so as not to pick during the heat of the day. As the note shows, this policy has paid off. Yields were acceptable but the fine late summer weather has concentrated the juice admirably.