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 assembly of some twenty micro-parcels scattered across the commune of Fuissé that yields a Chardonnay of remarkable richness, complexity and generosity that has earned Vessigaud its reputation among the most demanding connoisseurs of the Mâconnais. A Pouilly-Fuissé that rivals the Côte de Beaune in character, with its roasted hazelnut, fine balance between ripe fruit and restrained oak, and those sandy, chalky notes so typical of Fuissé, all at a quality-to-price ratio that few Burgundy appellations can offer today.

Terroir and vineyards

This Vieilles Vignes cuvée draws from a careful assembly of some twenty micro-parcels within the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation, among them 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, and the variety of their marl-limestone soils, are precisely what give this cuvée its force and singular character. Each micro-parcel contributes its precise dimension to the whole: some parcels facing east bring freshness and mineral tension, while those sheltered to the south-west contribute the roundness, fat and aromatic generosity that define Pouilly-Fuissé at its most accomplished. The vines, with an average age of 40 years, are farmed organically as Pierre Vessigaud has gradually engaged the domaine in this approach, respecting the natural balance and soils of Fuissé. Harvesting is entirely by hand, with whole-bunch pressing, a deliberate practice that preserves aromatic finesse and juice purity by avoiding any brutal extraction. Ageing is conducted at 80 per cent in oak barrels aged 7 to 15 years and 20 per cent in concrete tank for 18 months, a precise balance that brings structure, richness and the subtle oak patina characteristic of the Vessigaud style, without ever masking the terroir or weighing down the fruit.

Tasting profile

The colour is luminous golden-yellow with green glints, bright and visually dense. The nose is rich and complex, the hallmark of this cuvée: roasted hazelnut, pop-corn and light caramel from the ageing interweave with delicate white-flower aromas and ripe stone fruits, pear, peach and quince, alongside a beautiful sandy and chalky minerality so typical of Fuissé. With aeration, touches of almond, honey and sweet vanilla progressively enrich this bouquet with remarkable complexity and generosity. On the palate, the texture is fat and round, characteristic of old vines on Fuissé's marls and limestone, carried by fresh, well-integrated acidity that channels the richness and brings tension and length to the whole. The palate rivals the Côte d'Or in character, with that admirable balance between properly ripe fruit, well-judged ageing and terroir expression that marks the finest 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 elite of the Mâconnais. A wine to decant 30 minutes before serving, or to keep for two or three years to reveal its full complexity, capable of evolving harmoniously over six to eight years.

The domaine

Françoise and Pierre Vessigaud continue a family viticulture that has been rooted for five generations in the Hameau de Pouilly, in Solutré-Pouilly, at the foot of the Roche de Solutré. It is Pierre, at the helm since 1998, who has steered the domaine towards an exacting quest for quality, respecting soils, farming organically, controlling yields, harvesting by hand and conducting precise ageings, raising Vessigaud's wines among the most convincing references in the Mâconnais. Across ten hectares spread between Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon-Fuissé, Mâcon-Charnay and Saint-Amour, Pierre Vessigaud expresses with consistency and candour the richness and diversity of Fuissé's terroirs, from the mineral tension of les Tâches to the velvety generosity of the Vieilles Vignes assembly.

Food pairings

This Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes will pair beautifully with grilled or poached shellfish, scallops in chive cream, lobster with tarragon butter, roasted Bresse chicken in cream sauce, mushroom and Parmesan risotto or crayfish-tail gratin. It will also find harmony with firm cheeses such as 18-month Comté or fresh chèvre from the Hautes-Côtes. Served between 12 and 13°C, with 30 minutes in the decanter recommended, it will reveal all the richness, complexity and charm of a Pouilly-Fuissé of high stature.