Pouilly Fuissé Vieilles Vignes 2023 Domaine Pierre Vessigaud

The Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes 2023 from Domaine Pierre Vessigaud is the domaine's most ambitious cuvée, an assemblage of around twenty micro-parcels scattered across the commune of Fuissé. It produces a Chardonnay of remarkable richness, complexity, and generosity that has earned Vessigaud a devoted following among the Mâconnais' most demanding connoisseurs. This is a Pouilly-Fuissé that speaks the language of the Côte de Beaune, with its roasted hazelnut character, its fine balance between ripe fruit and measured wood ageing, and those distinctly Fuisséan sandy notes, all at a quality-to-price ratio that few Burgundian appellations can match today.

Terroir and the vines

This Vieilles Vignes cuvée is assembled from around twenty micro-parcels within Pouilly-Fuissé, including les Combettes, les Rossins, les Vignes des Champs, les Tâches, les Travers, Vers Chânes, les Châtaigniers, les Rëisses, and les Ménétrières. The diversity of their north, south, east, and west exposures, combined with the variety of marl-limestone soils, gives this cuvée its character and singularity. Each micro-parcel contributes its own voice to the whole: those facing east bring freshness and mineral tension, while the more sheltered south-west facing parcels offer the roundness, richness, and aromatic generosity that define Pouilly-Fuissé at its finest. The vines average 40 years old and are farmed organically, a commitment Pierre Vessigaud has gradually woven throughout the domaine, respecting natural balance and Fuissé's soils. Harvest is entirely by hand, with whole-bunch pressing, a deliberate practice that preserves aromatic finesse and juice purity without brutal extraction. Ageing is conducted 80 per cent in oak barrels of 7 to 15 years old and 20 per cent in concrete vats for 18 months, a precise balance that brings structure, richness, and the gentle oakiness characteristic of Vessigaud's style, never masking terroir or drowning the fruit.

Tasting profile

The robe is a luminous gold with greenish reflections, bright and visually dense. The nose is rich and complex, earning this cuvée its reputation: roasted hazelnut, popcorn, and light caramel notes from ageing interweave with aromas of delicate white flowers and ripe stone fruits, pear, peach, and quince, alongside that beautiful sandy and chalky minerality so typical of Fuissé. With aeration, touches of almond, honey, and gentle vanilla progressively enrich this bouquet. On the palate, the texture is rich and round, characteristic of old vines on the marls and limestone of Fuissé, carried by fresh acidity that is well-integrated, channelling the richness and bringing tension and length to the whole. The palate echoes the Côte d'Or, with that admirable balance between fruit at proper maturity, well-judged ageing, and terroir awareness that marks the best vintages of this cuvée. The finish is long, sandy, and lightly spiced, with a persistence and purity that confirm this Pouilly-Fuissé's place among the Mâconnais' finest. Best opened in a carafe 30 minutes before serving, or aged two to three years to reveal its full complexity. It will age gracefully over six to eight years.

The domaine

Françoise and Pierre Vessigaud carry forward five generations of family viticulture at the Hameau de Pouilly in Solutré-Pouilly, at the foot of the Roche de Solutré. Since taking the helm in 1998, Pierre has committed the domaine to rigorous quality standards: soil respect, organic farming, controlled yields, hand-harvesting, and precise ageing regimes. Vessigaud's wines now rank among the Mâconnais' most convincing references. Across 10 hectares spread among Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon-Fuissé, Mâcon-Charnay, and Saint-Amour, Pierre Vessigaud consistently and sincerely expresses the richness and diversity of Fuissé's terroirs, from the mineral tension of les Tâches to the velvet generosity of the Vieilles Vignes assemblage.

Food pairings

This Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes pairs beautifully with grilled or poached shellfish, scallops with chive cream, lobster with tarragon butter, roasted Bresse chicken in creamy sauce, mushroom and parmesan risotto, or crawfish tail gratin. It also harmonises well with hard cheeses like 18-month Comté or fresh goat cheese from the Hautes-Côtes. Served between 12 and 13 °C, with a 30-minute decant recommended, it will reveal the full richness, complexity, and charm of a fine Pouilly-Fuissé.