Henry Fessy Pouilly Fuisse Sous La Roche 2013
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Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with oyster, sole meunière, chicken with cream sauce, sweetbread, cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine is structured and concentrated, showing a tight character that is closed and firm. It has enough fruit for the future to show its potential richness. Concentrated, very mineral, the wine should not be drunk until 2017.
Other Vintages
2019-
Suckling
James
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Wong
Wilfred
Since 1888 the Fessy family has been based in the heart of the Brouilly appellation of Beaujolais, France. Over the years they have purchased choice parcels of vineyards in most of the 10 Crus and the Beaujolais-Villages appellations to create the enviable domaine that we have today of nearly 70 hectares of prime vineyards. Work in our vineyards is carried out with sensitivity and intelligence and they only intervene when necessary. This philosophy allows them to produce highly complex wines which express a real sense of place and origin. They offer the full range of Beaujolais wines from our own vineyards each expressing their own unique terroir. Experience, tradition, respect and an in-depth knowledge of the Beaujolais vineyards go hand in hand-making Henry Fessy a respected quality-driven Domaine.
In 1888 a travelling salesman called Jean Pelissier decided to buy a parcel of Brouilly right in the heart of the "Paradis" vineyards on the Bel Air plateau. He joined forces with his son-in-law Henri Fessy with the objective of creating excellent wines. During the second half of the 20th century, Jean and Henri's sons and grandsons succeeded in developing the company thanks to their exploration of vineyards beyond Brouilly. Following the company's purchase by Maison Louis Latour in 2008, owners of vineyards and the eponymous brand in Burgundy, a decision was taken to continue acquiring parcels of vineyards, primarily in the ten Beaujolais Crus. Henry Fessy has remained faithful to the traditional method (no carbonic maceration) which favors the balance between the seductive fruit-forwardness and the supple tannins which guarantee good ageing capability. The grapes are transported in small buckets to the winery, before being sorted, de-stemmed and then placed into cement and steel tanks for approximately a week. The length of the fermentation depends considerably on the vintage. The wines will then age in vats for between 7 and 10 months before being bottled the following spring.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The source of some of the most sought-after white wines of the Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé is produced exclusively from the Chardonnay grape and tends to be slightly richer in style than wines from its northern neighbor, the Côte de Beaune—mainly due to warmer weather. Wines from Pouilly-Fuissé have some versatility; they can be enjoyed young and can also often improve with a little time in the cellar. Pouilly-Fuissé wines are considered some of the best values for white Burgundy.
Similar to the Côte de Beaune, the soils of Pouilly-Fuissé are mainly limestone and clay. The appellation includes the communes of Fuissé, Solutré (which includes Pouilly), Vergisson and Chaintré. The richest Chardonnay comes from Fuissé and Solutré-Pouilly, whereas the Chardonnay at higher elevation, from Vergisson, expresses more minerality and finesse. Pairing Pouilly-Fuissé with lobster or King Crab will bring great joy not only to your palate—but also your pocketbook!