Notes from the Burgundy trail Pt. 3…
My day-trips down to the Mâconnais (about an hour south of Beaune) are always a joy. I love the wines, the people, and the great natural beauty of the region. The Mâconnais, like the Beaujolais region just adjacent, is a series of rolling hills and tiny ancient hill towns, with some spectacular views to go with what are probably the best value wines in all of Burgundy.
Vineyards below the Roche Solutré in the Mâconnais
First stop this time was at the stunning grounds of Chateau des Rontets high above the village of Fuissé. This was only my second visit there, having met and decided to work with them just last November. Fabio and Claire Gazeau-Montrasi have emerged as one of the top producers of Pouilly-Fuissé in recent years – pretty amazing for a couple that were both working architects in Milan not so many years ago. Pouilly-Fuissé is a name known and recognized by even casual wine drinkers, and in the 70s and 80s became so famous that it was nearly synonymous with “French White Wine”. (And to this day it is known to most as the incorrectly pronounced “Pooly-Foosay”. The correct pronunciation, if you’re interested, is “Pwee-yee-Fwee-say. But I digress…)
The best wines of Pouilly-Fuissé rival, and can even surpass, many of their more highly-pedigreed cousins from the Côte de Beaune, and at a fraction of the price. Nothing against the great whites of Puligny, Meursault or Corton, but you can still blow your mind for under $40 in the Mâconnais compared to the $75+ these days up north. The problem is, there is an ocean of mediocre Pouilly-Fuissé out there, which sells on the strength of the reputation of the appellation rather than the quality of the wine in the bottle. One needs to know where to look. That’s where I come in, your intrepid importer, always looking for purity, excellence, and value on every hillside in every village. (Rough work, I know, but somebody has to do it…)
1910 plantings at Chateau des Rontets
I tasted through the ’08s and ’09s at Chateau des Rontets, and was again very pleased with each and every wine. They lost about a third of their crop to hail in ’08, but the tiny quantities actually produced are superb. The Clos Varambon bottling (from the vines planted in the ’50s) showed lovely white flowers and richness, acting like a younger brother to a Corton Charlemagne, perhaps. The Pierrefolle Cuvée (from the one vineyard parcel on Granite rather than Limestone soils) was richer and fuller, very Chassagne-like – but only 9 barrels were made. The star as always was the Les Birbettes bottling (from the oldest vines, planted in 1910 & 1920), the most elegant and refined, and very long, again showing a lovely white-flower perfume. Fabio said he did a longer élévage for the ’08s, and will be bottling later than usual – as like everywhere else in Burgundy everything happened late and slow in the cellar. Sadly there is no Saint-Amour, their gorgeous Cru Beaujolais, in 2008, as their entire parcel was lost to the hail.
The ’09s were not yet finished with primary fermentation, as some barrels and foudres had a gram or two of sugar still left to ferment. From a brief early look, I’d say they should be very nice indeed, perhaps a touch more fruit sweetness than the ’08s, but also very crisp and bright. We’ll revist these in the fall next time ’round. There is only one 400-liter barrel of the Saint-Amour in ’09, as again this parcel was hit by hail. The good news is that the 500 or so bottles will be gorgeous – very pretty sweet cranberry aromas and rich, silky fruit on the palate. I am going to hit Fabio up to sell us every bottle he’s got!
Sandrine & Christophe Thibert, with her son Louis
Then it was down the winding road through vineyards and into the village of Fuissé, which is home to an ancient Roman church and baths, and a bunch of the best vignerons in the Mâconnais. We work with Christophe & Sandrine Thibert, the brother and sister team behind Domaine Thibert Père et Fils, and their incredible range of wines from throughout the region including St. Véran, several villages in the Mâcon appellation, and of course Pouilly-Fuissé. It’s quite an extensive range, but every single one seems to hit the mark year after year. Most of the ’08s were not in bottle yet, but from the tanks they were showing well as they awaited bottling a few weeks hence. Favorites were the St. Véran Champ Rond, with its notes of honey and minerality, and the Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes Blanches bottling, the prettiest and most elegant of the five different single vineyard P-Fs. There is also a “Vieilles Vignes” Pouilly-Fuissé from ’08, from a parcel of 78 year-old vines that I thought was outstanding – we’ll get our allocation in this fall. In ’09 there is new cuvée of St. Véran called Bois de Fées that I really liked in barrel – the same signature honey notes, but crisper and brighter minerality than the Champ Rond, really excellent juice.
Next up – more tasting stops, including some sublime wines at Lucien Le Moine and de Vogüé…
