Name: 2004 Laboure-Roi Pouilly Fuisse
Grape: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Macconais, France
Price: $14.99 to $15.99
All the talk this week about Chardonnay has me craving Pouilly-Fuissé. That's right, another aloof, hard to pronouce French wine.
Fortunately, with this wine once you get the name down, it's pretty simple. Pouilly-Fuissé (pronounced: poo-yee-fwee-say) is delicious Chardonnay from France's Macconais region. Pouilly-Fuissé is famous for it's limestone rich soil on a granite base, which creates mineral driven wines with high acidity.
The lands of Pouilly-Fuissé are warmer than their Macconais neighbors and are therefore the richest of the bunch. This richness will impress nut and butter tones on the nose, with fullness in the mouth. Don’t let this richness alarm you; this is not a flabby wine. On the contrary, Pouilly-Fuissé can be another perfect example of the beautiful synergy expressed between balanced fruit, oak and acid.
Labouré-Roi is one of the largest and best-known producers of Pouilly-Fuissé. Their holdings cover 2100 acres of land just outside the towns of Pouilly and Fuissé. The Labouré-Roi Pouilly-Fuissé is a great value for the money, especially considering that these wines can often break the bank. I tried a bottle last night and really enjoyed it, it was bright and charming but retained some heft and weight, which made it interesting. It also paired perfectly with the halibut and tzatziki salad I made for dinner.
Stores: Astor Wines and Spirits $14.99 (399 Lafayette at 4th Street), Wine.com $15.99 (online wine retailer)
Thank you for this - I love Pouilly Fuisse but it always seems so expensive; however, this is very reasonable.
What I have always wondered is - what is the difference between Pouilly Fuisse and Pouilly Fume? Specifically, what is the taste difference. Sometimes it's easier to find Pouilly Fume.
Hi Matilda,
Although they are similar in name, these two wines couldn't be more different. Pouilly Fume is Sauvignon Blanc coming from the Loire Valley and Pouilly Fuisse is Chardonnay coming from the Maconnais. Loire Valley white wines are excellent wines just in a different style.
Sauvignon Blanc, when unoaked, is lighter in body, zippier, more vegetal (fresh cut grass) and steely whereas the Chardonnay will be heavier, with some nut and rich fruit tones.
Both Pouilly Fuisse & Pouilly Fume tend toward traditional, purist styles and neither should be overly manipulated like an Australian or Californian version might be.
It really depends on what you are in the mood for. A good analogy would be the difference between fruit sorbet or fruit ice cream ~ the Sauvignon Blanc would be the zippy sorbet and the Chardonnay is ice cream.
Thanks jenny, I love the analogy - it's easy for me to understand now! Sounds like I would love the Fume also. Maybe I'll give both a try this weekend ;-)