Pouilly Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses 2023 Domaine Pierre Vessigaud

The Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses 2023 from Domaine Pierre Vessigaud is the absolute jewel of the domaine, the most precious, most confidential and most ambitious cuvée of Françoise, Pierre and Simon Vessigaud. In the vigneron's own words, Les Reisses is "certainly the noble terroir of Fuissé", a conviction shared by the most discerning Mâconnais specialists, who see in this Premier Cru a Chardonnay of tension, persistence and depth that rivals the finest premiers crus of the Côte de Beaune, for a fraction of their price. Potential for ageing 8 to 20 years.

The Reisses Terroir

Les Reisses was classified as a Premier Cru during the major overhaul of the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation in 2020, a formal recognition that consecrated this exceptional terroir that the Vessigaud family had long cultivated and valued even before the INAO granted it this status. The parcel sits due east, with south to south-west exposure, on the heights of Fuissé, on soils of marl-limestone and pure marls. This hard limestone subsoil capped with marl-rich fossils is one of the most noble and complex geological profiles in the Mâconnais. This pédological profile of exceptional mineral richness bestows on the wine a tension, persistence and depth that few terroirs of the appellation can claim with such consistency. The most striking characteristic of this parcel is the nature of its old vines: the Chardonnays here produce very small and millerandé grapes, a natural flowering imperfection that creates grains of unequal and reduced size, extraordinarily concentrating sugars, aromas and dry extract of the fruit, conferring on the wine incomparable richness and aromatic complexity. The naturally very low yields that result are precisely the origin of the wine's depth and character. Vinification is precise and respectful: manual harvest, whole bunch pressing, 12 months ageing in demi-muids of 5 year old oak, sufficiently aged to provide natural micro-oxidation and subtle complexity without imparting woody notes, followed by 6 months in stainless steel before bottling.

Tasting Profile

The colour is pale gold with luminous green reflections, bright and crystalline in clarity. The nose is captivating and of a complexity that imposes itself with immediate grace and nobility: aromas of ripe white and yellow fruits, Williams pear, vineyard peach, apricot, mingle with delicate floral notes, touches of light honey and fresh almond, with a fine, precise and omnipresent marl-limestone minerality that signs the terroir imprint of Les Reisses. On the palate, the texture is at once silky and tense, a rare balance between the natural richness of millerandé grapes and the mineral verticality of Fuissé's marls. The acidity is lively and precise, structuring ample and generous matter with remarkable straightness and length. The finish is endless and persistent, very long on the palate according to the vigneron's own words, stretching over mineral, citrus and lightly spiced notes of a purity and precision that evoke great Burgundy. A premier cru of great ageing potential, best left untouched until 2027 to allow it to fully flourish.

The Domaine

Françoise and Pierre Vessigaud, now accompanied by their son Simon, have perpetuated for five generations a family viticulture established at the Hameau de Pouilly in Solutré-Pouilly, at the foot of the Roche de Solutré. Pierre, in command since 1998, has gradually committed the domaine to rigorous organic practice: soil respect, absence of synthetic herbicides and pesticides, manual harvest and controlled yields, placing Vessigaud's wines among the most precious and convincing references of southern Burgundy. With Simon's arrival, the domaine enters a new family chapter, with the same conviction that has animated Pierre since his beginning: to reveal with sincerity and precision the richness and nobility of Fuissé's terroirs, from Mâcon-Fuissé Les Tâches to this Premier Cru Les Reisses which is their shared pride.

Food Pairing

This Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses will pair magnificently with scallops and white truffles, grilled lobster with tarragon butter, wild turbot in champagne sauce, Bresse poultry in creamed morel sauce, braised sweetbreads with wild mushrooms, or langoustine gratin with cheese. It will also harmonise beautifully with soft-rind cheeses, Brie de Meaux or Chaource, or an aged goat cheese. Decanting for 30 minutes is recommended for younger vintages. Served between 12 and 13 °C, it will progressively reveal all the depth, mineral tension and persistence of one of the Mâconnais' greatest terroirs.