SOUTH BURGUNDY
MICHEL
CHEVEAU
Not for lack of trying,
but it has been a struggle to find (in our opinion) the perfect Pouilly FuisseÉneither
too oaky on one hand, nor too lean and mean on the other. And after years of
searching we found it in an unexpected place.
We happened to be saying
exactly that to Bruno Boisson in Cairanne in the southern Rhone, when he ducked
into a corner of the cellar and came back with a bottle of Pouilly Fuisse ÒLes
Trois TerroirsÓ made by his friend Nicolas Cheveau. At last, just what we were
looking for!
We never quite get over
the almost primal presence of the two jagged rock faces of La Roche de Solutre
and La Roche de Vergisson, with the small village of Vergisson nestling between
and the even smaller village of Pouilly below – the village that time
forgot. We were the most far-flung visitors for Cheveau and the whole family
and a stageiste
from Macon popped in to watch us tasting! Nicolas is the third generation in the
familiy domaine carrying his father MichelÕs name. They have 11 hectares. Everything is handmade. The whites are
left on their lees for 8-12 months, with stirring every one or two weeks.
The Macon-Solutre comes
from red argile Solutre soil. The 2006 has a lovely, wide Chardonnay nose, ripe
compact fruit and good acidity. The St Veran comes from a half hectare plot on
Davaye soil, and vinified entirely in tank. There is a sense of yellow flowers
in the nose and a lovely richness in the mouth. Probably the finest St Veran
weÕve tasted. Then onto the Pouilly-Fuisse. ÒLes Trois TerroirsÓ is an
assemblage of three separate parcels all in Pouilly. 70% in large Fudre and 30%
in 5/6 y.o oak barrels. Amazing ripeness, a light touch of botrytis, providing
a fascinating complex nose – agrumes (citrus fruits, especially grapefruit),
notes of honey and even wild mushrooms. Fabulous volume and density but with a
core of good acidity to stop it being too heavy. Aux
Bouthieres is a single parcel of old vines, vinified in oak.
|
white |
|
|
|
|
|
MACON-POUILLY-SOLUTRE |
2007 |
12.99 |
|
|
ST VERAN Terroir
Davaye |
2007 |
14.99 |
|
|
POUILLY-FUISSE Les Trois Terroirs |
2007 |
19.99 |
|
|
POUILLY-FUISSE Aux Bouthieres |
2007 |
24.99 |