“Pouilly-Fuissé”

 Domaine du Roc des Boutires has 11 acres (4.2 hectares) on an east-west oriented strip at the same latitude of the village of Pouilly on Jurassic limestone interlaced with clay and shale, the same substratum as the Premier and Grands Crus of the Côte d’Or. 

The vines of Chardonnay, mostly planted in the beginning of the ‘70s, are flowering here with the greatest respect for the natural environment. All wines come from the estate vineyard exclusively.

About the vintage 2019

Aging: 15 months, 20% in oak barrels

Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay

Alcohol: 13.0%

TA: 3.6 g/L

The 2019 vintage was the sunniest since 1990. An exceptionally sunny February encouraged early vegetation, but early cold Spring nights were a challenge. On April 4th, a frost close to -4 C (25 F) affected nearly 40% of the vineyard. As flowering and fruit development began, the berries were small, due to the lack of rain until the end of July. August had lower temperatures than normal with an excess of rain. However, the Chardonnay grapes remained lower in weight than in the past 13 years, with yields down 35%. As a result, the vintage started a little later. In all, the wines are very aromatic and fine, with a great freshness.

About the terroirs

Clay and limestone soils. The ‘vielles vignes’ of Chardonnay, located at the southern end of Burgundy, are planted between 250 and 500 meters in altitude, higher than the other AOC from Bourgogne. Thus, they provide both maturity and freshness to the wines.

Selection of terroirs; 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres):

1) ‘A La Roue’: deep clay soils (no-limestone), from residual clay “with chailles”

2) ‘Barvay’: shallow soils, derived from limestones “with chailles”

3) ‘Aux Combes’: fine soils of clay and limestones

4) ‘En Bertilionne’: brown/yellow soils derived from marl limestones

Tasting Notes

A bright, vibrant color with hints of yellow and gold. Aromas of peach and honey fill the nose. The wine’s acidity is well balanced with citrus notes of lime and orange peel adding layers of flavor.