Region
Mâconnais
Appellation
Pouilly-Fuissé
Grape variety
Chardonnay
Situation
A blend of the best parcels from Fuissé's amphitheatre.
Age of the vines
Planted between 2020 and 1947, a little more than 70 years separate the youngest vines from the oldest. The average age is 40 years. You might like to know that one of the oldest plots used in this cuvée (Les Vernays, planted in 1955) is the source of the massal selection made by the domaine.
Soil
Within this one cuvée you can find a snapshot of Pouilly-Fuissé's geological complexity:
50% of shallow clay-limestone soils, around the Premiers Crus
30% of deeper clay soils
20% of schists, volcanic sedimentary sands and rhyolitic tuff
Vinification
Each vineyard is vinified and aged separately.
The grapes coming from the granitic soil are vinified in stainless steal tanks, and oak barrels for the plots from clay and limestone.
Vinification and ageing in oak barrels (or tanks) for 10 months, then another 8 months of vats to get more freshness and tension.
Blending and bottling took place in February 2025.
Tasting
This emblematic wine reflects all the diversity of Fuissé's terroir combining the roundness from clay, the delicacy from granitic soil, and the saltiness from limestone. Notes of citrus and fresh herbs match perfectly in a mineral and pure final.
Food pairing
Shellfish and molluscs, seafood risotto, grilled or pan-fried fish, veal cutlets with creamy sauces, goat's cheeses and hard cow's milk cheeses.
Vintage
Once again, the 2023 vintage in the Mâconnais kicked off with a winter and spring that were both warmer and drier than the average, and this followed on from an end to the growing season in 2022 that was notably deficient in rainfall. We will easily forget the exceptionally dry conditions in February, which only delivered 2mm of rain.
Abundant spring showers in March and the mild conditions that prevailed in spring precipitated a relatively early budbreak which was, thankfully, spared from frost. Flowering, which took place in May, was perfectly homogenous, and this led to the development of well-formed bunches. June, on the other hand, was notable for the way it alternated between thunderstorms, some of them violent, and periods of hot, dry weather, leading to some hail damage and which allowed for attacks by downy mildew, which set in across the region. In contrast to the northern part of Burgundy, the south saw levels of rainfall in June that were almost twice the norm. July brought summery weather, encouraging the bunches to close up and veraison to begin, even though powdery mildew was making its presence felt in the vineyards. The hard work of our vineyard teams meant that we managed to preserve the health of our grapes, and we headed into the harvest season with perfectly healthy grapes.
Just as we thought we were heading for another early harvest, a wave of cool weather set in during the last week of August, creating a cessation of hostilities and allowing the vines some respite as they emerged from a week of heatwave.
On the 3rd of September, we were hit with another, unexpected spike in temperatures - a historic first at this time of year. This late heatwave only came to an end a fortnight later. The following day our picking team set off on a race against time, aiming to preserve as much freshness as possible in our lovely grapes. We picked our parcel selections first, and only in the mornings, in order to benefit from the relatively cool conditions. On the 16th of September, after 11 days of hard work under the blazing sun, our team made their last cuts of the secateur while admiring the spectacular panorama they could see from the vineyards of the Vergisson Rock.
The generosity of the yields, a key factor in creating balance, has allowed us to retain freshness in the finished wines, despite the warm vintage. With the benefit of very gentle pressing, we have made wines that show great purity of fruit, as well as density, complexity and vibrancy.