White Burgundy with a Southern Accent: Soil Riches Told in Parcels in Two Mâconnais Appellations (6-Bottle Pack $277, Tax Included)

White Burgundy with a Southern Accent: Soil Riches Told in Parcels in Two Mâconnais Appellations.

The Mâconnais is the soul of southern Burgundy; it is an artist’s dreamscape of undulating hills and picturesque valleys. Extending nearly 25 miles from the Côte Chalonnaise to the Rock of Solutré, bordered on one side by the river Saône and the Grosne on the other, grape vines were first planted here in Gallo-Roman times and expanded by the powerful abbeys of Tournus and Cluny. Wines that simply bear ‘Mâcon’ on the label may be white, red, or every shade of pink so long as they hail from specific geographic boundaries and adhere to base yield regulations at harvest, but so high is the overall quality of this Burgundian sub-region that many wines made in the Mâcon qualify for higher-level appellations. There are eight AOPs in the Mâconnais; among the superlatives are the well-known Pouilly-Fuissé and the adjacent—if lesser known— Pouilly-Loché. Both Pouilly-Fuissé and Pouilly-Loché are made exclusively from Chardonnay, a variety especially suited to the region’s brown and calcic limestone. A comparison of wine from these two juxtaposed appellations gives a good overview of the differences and similarities produced by individual terroirs. Whereas the four communes of Pouilly-Fuissé (Chaintré, Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly and Vergisson) tend to produce creamy, opulent wines, those from the satellite AOP Pouilly-Loché may be leaner and more apt to display a steely, mineral quality. And yet, when fine-tuned by lieux-dits (named-sites), hillside exposures and vintages these qualities may leapfrog from site to site with the chief consistency being found in the overall wine quality.

We are pleased to offer a selection of exceptional wines from Pouilly-Fuissé and Pouilly-Loché for an all-inclusive price of $277. It’s an ideal sampler of the complexity and depth that the two appellations have to offer. Included in this Mâconnais, an all-white 6-bottle package, are one each of the following wines:

Pouilly-Fuissé

West of the town of Mâcon, the land rises to form a series of hills; Mont de Pouilly gives the region its name, but rocky outcrops of Solutré and Vergisson play a more prominent role in the remarkable terroir of Pouilly-Fuissé. The vines are planted all around these two hills on clay-limestone soils mixed with upslope scree. Steep-sided streams give these slopes an ideal easterly or south-easterly exposure. Granted Premier Cru designation in September 2020, there are currently 22 climats entitled to wear this label: The finest Pouilly-Fuissés easily rival the best wines of the Côte de Beaune.

Domaine du Roc des Boutires

If the Mâconnais is the soul of southern Burgundy, Domaine du Roc des Boutires may be the heart. Located in the direct center of Aux Bouthières, arguably the best terroir of the appellation, Domaine du Roc des Boutires has been under the watchful eye of the Parinet family of Château du Moulin-à-Vent since 2016. The vines sit beneath the Roche de Solutré, a limestone escarpment so remarkable in appearance that locals refer to it as ‘The Sphinx of the Mâconnais’.

Premier Cru ‘Vers Cras’ Pouilly-Fuissé 2018 ($57): Vers Cras is one of the newly-minted Premier Cru sites in Pouilly-Fuissé; the subsoil of ancient coral limestone provides a unique salty tension to the wines. This one is a classic expression of Pouilly-Fuissé with vibrant Chardonnay fruit—fresh apple, melon and peach underscored by white flowers and honeysuckle.

Lieu-dit ‘en Bertilionne’ Pouilly-Fuissé 2019 ($49): The lieu-dit ‘en Bertilionne’ is a scant acre and a half, but—with its shoals of marl and chalky depths—offers one of the most highly prized terroirs in the Mâconnais. Emerald gold tones reflect a wine of finesse and distinction loaded with Granny Smith apple, hazelnuts, grapefruit and lemon and a tingly, acidic and long-lasting finish.

Pouilly-Fuissé 2019 ($47): Boutires’s signature cuvée is from a selection of 40 to 45-year vines in four lieux-dits: A la Roue, Barvay, aux Combes and en Bertilionne. Nervy and complex with faint jasmine in the bouquet and green almond on the palate, this supple wine is also infused with lime, grapefruit, and honey and complemented by damp-stone minerality.

Pouilly-Loché

Pouilly-Loché produces some of the finest Mâconnais wines made, and may owe its relative lack of notoriety to the fact that so little of it is available. Covering a scant 80 acres across vineyards sited between 650-820ft., the top wines of Loché come from east-facing hillside overlooking the Saône Valley. Despite its size, a variety of soils can be found in these vineyards; north of the village of Loché, the soil is mostly schists and sandstone, allowing for a quick morning warm-up. South of Loché, iron dominates clay soil and the terroir resembles the third, (perhaps better known Pouilly), Pouilly-Vinzelles. Since no formal ‘Premier Cru’ system exists within Pouilly-Loché, quality is determined by reputation of the vineyard, and especially by specific lieux-dits within those vineyards.

Domaine du Clos des Rocs

A big fish in a little pond, nearly 30% of the vines in Pouilly-Loché belongs to Clos des Rocs. Olivier Giroux, who bought the estate in 2002, is Mâconnaise by birth, but trained in the Rhône: He claims, as a notable difference between the two regions, that the vast majority of Rhône growers never talk about their soil. “Here in Burgundy, the idea of terroir is much more developed. We love to find and market differences in character between the vineyards. I consider myself a peasant who wears many hats: It is just me here. I tend the vineyards. I make the wine. I take care of the marketing.”

Lieu-dit ‘Clos Monopole’ Pouilly-Loché 2017 ($40): A true ‘vin de garde’, the estate’s signature wine and the appellation’s only monopole presents an intense silex-dominated structure countered by bright aromatics of orchard fruit and acacia blossoms. Likewise, the flinty acidity is fully balanced by vanilla-perfumed oak and persistent petrichor on the finish.

Lieu-dit ‘Les Mûres’ Pouilly-Loché 2017 ($37): The 40-year vines and limestone-rich soil of ‘Les Mûres’ makes it one of the appellation’s more sought after lieux-dits; this silken example shows Bosc pear, pineapple, kiwi and buttery cream.

Lieu-dit ‘Les Barres’ Pouilly-Loché 2017 ($31): The estate’s smallest production (under 300 cases), ‘Les Barres’ is a cuvée from two parcels of vines between 30 and 70 years old. This crunchy and luscious up front with a beautiful buttered brioche middle palate brightened with green pear, ripe peach, honeysuckle and apple blossom which lasts to the finish.

- - -
Posted on 2021.07.08 in France, Burgundy, Wine-Aid Packages