Chardonnay.
Colour: pale gold with light green highlights.
Nose: rich bouquet with floral notes, yellow fruit, brioche and toasted hazelnuts, as well as a touch of honey and delicately smoky vanilla.
Palate: round and full-bodied, carried by a beautiful freshness, marked minerality and subtle woody notes offering length, texture and persistence.
It goes wonderfully well with shellfish, scallops, snails, sushi, sole amandine, poultry and creamy pasta dishes, as well as mild cheeses.
Ideally served at a temperature of between 13 and 14°C.
Drink now to enjoy its vibrant youth or cellar for 4 to 6 years to allow its aromas to develop in finesse.
The Pouilly-Fuissé appellation, in southern Burgundy, covers 800 hectares, including 194 hectares of Premiers Crus since 2020. Production is concentrated around Chaintré, Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly and Vergisson, dominated by the famous Solutré and Vergisson rocks, limestone spurs rising to 495 metres.
The Premier Cru ‘La Maréchaude’ is situated on the clay and limestone slopes of the Roche de Vergisson, at an altitude of 350 metres, with a south/south-west exposure. The very stony, deep soils are made up of grey-blue marl from the ancient Jurassic period. This terroir, with its wide temperature range, allows the Chardonnay grape variety to express itself to the full.
The grapes are gently pressed to obtain high-quality juice, then settled for 12 to 24 hours in temperature-controlled vats. After racking, the must ferments in stainless steel vats at 16-18°C with selected yeasts. Two-thirds of the way through fermentation, the wine is transferred to oak barrels, 40% of which are new (French and American), to bring roundness, smoky and spicy notes. The wine is aged in wood for 14 months on fine lees to bring length and structure as well as subtle woody notes.
The year 2024 in Burgundy was marked by extreme weather conditions, with excessive rainfall and a significant lack of sunshine. These factors led to heavy disease pressure, particularly downy mildew, complicating the work of the winegrowers. Frost and hail also caused significant damage, particularly in regions such as Chablis and Auxerrois.
Yields were severely affected, with drops of up to 70% in some areas. The Côte Chalonnaise held up better, with more limited losses. Overall, volumes are well below the usual average, a reminder of the difficult harvests in 2021.
The late harvest necessitated rigorous sorting to preserve quality. Despite the challenges, the grapes harvested reached good ripeness thanks to a sunny spell in September. The reds stand out for their richness and concentration, comparable to great vintages such as 2010. The elegant whites are reminiscent of 2022.
Initial tastings reveal promising wines, with concentrated aromas and a fine structure. Although limited in quantity, this vintage promises to be a qualitative success.
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