Pouilly-Fuissé Climat 1er Cru „Au Vignerais“ Zen AOC 2023

Wine Description for Pouilly-Fuissé Climat 1er Cru „Au Vignerais“ Zen AOC 2023 by La Soufrandière

Colour & Appearance

Vibrant golden yellow with silvery rim, brilliantly clear in the glass – a Chardonnay that confidently displays its provenance and maturity.

Nose

Generous and inviting, this Premier Cru opens with fully ripe stone fruit – apples and pears with waxy skin. Joined by ripe lemons and a remarkable saline minerality that recalls oyster shells and sea breeze. Wild fennel fronds and chervil lend a delicate, herbaceous top note. A complex wine that demands space to breathe.

Palate

The attack is creamy and seductive, yet then the wine reveals its true nature: electric tension, carried by vibrant acidity that stretches across the palate like a sail. Structurally still firm and youthfully taut, with assertive saline minerality and subtle phenolics that provide backbone. This is no mere charmer, but a Chardonnay with substance and ageing potential.

Finish

Long, mineral-driven and with sustained tension – the acidity carries the aromas far across the palate.

Terroir & Origin

The Premier Cru vineyard site Au Vignerais in Vinzelles in southern Mâconnais offers ideal conditions: decades-old vines on limestone and clay soils with south-easterly exposure at 250 metres altitude. Here Burgundy is made with the minerality one expects from great vineyard sites.

Grape Variety & Vinification

100% Chardonnay, farmed biodynamically. Whole-bunch pressing, spontaneous fermentation and maturation predominantly in used Burgundy barrels on fine lees. Minimal sulphur use, bottled unfiltered – a purist approach that gives maximum expression to the terroir.

Food Pairing Suggestions

The saline minerality practically demands oysters or scallops. Also an excellent choice with lobster with butter, pan-fried turbot or a mature Comté.

Special Features

Remarkable is the value for money: Premier Cru quality from biodynamic viticulture at a fair price. A wine that rewards patience, yet fascinates even in its youth.