Category: French Wine

Pouilly-Fuissé officially has its Premier Cru!

After a 12-year application process, the French National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) approved the classification making Pouilly–Fuissé the first appellation within Burgundy’s Mâconnais sub-region to benefit from premier cru vineyards.

It’s a new era for Pouilly-Fuissé and probably for Mâconnais, joining now the prestigious classification established a long time ago in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. The 22 “Premier Cru” represent a total of 194 ha under vine, accounting for 24 % of Pouilly-Fuissé’s total vineyard area (800 ha exclusively located on the four villages of Chaintré, Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly and Vergisson).

The conditions of production of the Premier Cru are:

Maximum yield 56 hl/ha

Minimum soil’s rest of 3 years before replantation

No chemical herbicides

Minimum time of aging until July 1st

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moët & Chandon launches ‘Specially Yours’ personalized Christmas gift boxes

The gift boxes will be exclusively available in Selfridges, London in-store and online, priced at £49.99 for the Impérial and £58.99 for the Rosé Impérial.

The packaging can be personalized with a name or a message using up to fourteen characters. Gift boxes can be ordered by taking a bottle to a Selfridges personalization station in-store or selecting the relevant option online.

The gift box unveiling coincides with the launch of Moët & Chandon’s ‘London Calling’ campaign at the high-end department store. This will feature a Champagne bar and “concept space” featuring photographs of famous moments of celebration in London’s history.

The concept space is inspired by the design of the classic red telephone box, with space for guests to sip Champagne at a bar alongside the photographic exhibition.

Customers can choose from a range of Moët cuvées as well as Champagne cocktails, created in partnership with London bars Mr Fogg’s, Heads & Tails, Coupette and Disrepute.

A calendar of cocktail masterclasses will be held from 6 October to 25 November at Selfridges, co-hosted by Moët & Chandon’s Champagne Ambassador. These can be booked in advance https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/selfridges-oxford-street-london-6395244523

 

Vertical Tasting with Caroline Frey of Chateau La Lagune – Part 1

Vertical tastings offer a magnificent glimpse into the many facets of a wine’s personality and its many expressions over different weather conditions. It also offers a glimpse into the quality of the terroir and the site from which the grapes originate.

On September 28, 2020, I have the privilege of participating in a vertical “zoom tasting” and deep dive into Chateau La Lagune with Caroline Frey, winemaker, at her family’s Haut-Médoc third-growth estate.

Wines being tasted include

Chateau La Lagune 2015

Chateau La Lagune 2016

Chateau La Lagune 2017

Chateau La Lagune 2018 [100% Cabernet Sauvignon]

“Part 2” will include my tasting notes, the impact of vintage variations, particularly weather, and stylistic changes across vintages, along with personal quotes and my overall impression.

Pouilly-Fuissé gets 22 premier cru vineyards

The French National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) has officially recognized 22 premier cru ‘climats’ within the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation.

The AOP Pouilly-Fuissé will become the first appellation within Burgundy’s Mâconnais sub-region to benefit from premier cru vineyards.

The 22 new premier crus account for a total of 194ha of land planted to vine, corresponding to circa 24% of Pouilly-Fuissé’s total vineyard area (800ha), spread over the four communes of the appellation: Chaintré, Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly and Vergisson.

A proposal for the recognition of these climats as premier crus was first submitted to the INAO 10 years ago. Since then, the INAO has been working in partnership with the Organization for the Defense and Management (ODG) of the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation to assess the worthiness of these ‘terroirs’.

The 22 new premier crus, commune by commune

Chaintré:

  • Le Clos de Monsieur Noly
  • Les Chevrières
  • Aux Quarts
  • Le Clos Reyssier

Fuissé:

  • Le Clos
  • Les Brulés
  • Les Ménétrières
  • Les Reisses
  • Les Vignes Blanches
  • Les Perrières
  • Vers Cras

Solutré-Pouilly:

  • La Frérie
  • Le Clos de Solutré
  • Au Vignerais
  • En Servy
  • Aux Bouthières
  • Aux Chailloux
  • Pouilly
  • Vers Cras

Vergisson:

  • Les Crays
  • La Maréchaude
  • Sur la Roche
  • En France

#wine #bourgogne #burgundy #pouillyfuisse #Mâconnais

Young red wine is found to be more beneficial than aged wine, study finds

A recent study of 16 wines from Australia and New Zealand has found levels of healthy antioxidants, existing mainly in red grapes, decreased significantly over time.

CQUniversity lead researcher Mani Naiker said the compound, trans-resveratrol, was proven to have cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic effects.

“The more you consume this compound in your food or in beverages, it is perceived to give you better health benefits,” Dr Naiker said.

“When we compare younger bottled wines with mature red wines, we have proven that as the wine ages the concentration of this important bioactive compound decreases by about 75 percent over a 16-month period.

“That is a huge decrease in the concentration of this particularly important health-benefiting compound.”

Lead researcher Dr. Mani Naiker states that the compound is proven to have cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic effects.

The study published in the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, found the concentration decreased in some wines by as much as 96 percent.

After the initial resveratrol levels were measured, the bottles were resealed and stored in darkness in their original packaging.

“Irrespective to where we got the red wine from, which variety it was, the process of that compound, the loss was the same,” Dr Naiker said.

“I might just leave it with the French paradox that having a glass of red with a meal every day is good for your health.

“Now you know, you might want to go with a young red rather than an old one.”

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajgw.12449