It can be shocking, but no less heartening when one of my favorite overlooked wines suddenly bursts into the mainstream consciousness. This happened recently when gushing press and sommelier/winemaker buzz snatched this wine from obscurity and made it one of the most unexpectedly sought after wines of 2016.
For me, Marc Deschamps’ extraordinary Pouilly Fumé “Vinealis” has long been one of the great and (previously) unsung white wines of France. This extremely rare cuvée – only bottled in outstanding vintages, and of which less than 50 cases enter the US – miraculously combines the piercing minerality of top-tier Sancerre, the brooding mystery of mature Savennieres or Vouvray, and the depth and length of Grand Cru Chablis. “Vinealis” is a mind-bending, one-of-a-kind expression of Loire Valley terroir and a master class in French white wine. In short, the recent wave of attention is both deserved and long overdue. And, thanks to an old friend who distributes Deschamps’ wines, we have secured all that remains of the gorgeously mature 2011 – one of this village’s finest vintages in recent history. Please join us in celebrating this brilliant wine.

It’s fair to say that Pouilly Fumé hasn’t been the hippest or ‘of-the-moment’ wine (other than Didier Dagueneau of course) for a few decades. So, until recently, when The Wine Advocate consecrated this property with an extremely flattering series of reviews, many wine professionals had never heard of Marc Deschamps. Marc is a low-key, bespectacled fellow who has spent the last 34 years quietly working the same small cluster of vineyards in the sleepy Loire Valley hamlet of Les Loges. As mainstream global tastes have pulled this region’s style further toward stainless steel sheen and the jolly rancher-like thumbprint of synthetic yeast fermentation, Marc has kept his heels firmly dug in, stubbornly adhering to the traditions of yesteryear. Marc farms a modest 8.5-hectare collection of Kimmeridgian Marne (aka Terre Blanche) planted predominantly to Sauvignon Blanc and a small amount of Chasselas. Four of his parcels in the village of Les Loges are labeled under the Pouilly Fumé appellation – La Cote, Les Griottes, Les Vignes de Berge and finally, the most prized single vineyard, Champs de Cri. Champ de Cri’s “young vines” are 60 years old, but for this wine, “Cuvée Vinealis,” Marc sets aside fruit from an even older corner of the vineyard that was most recently replanted 65 years ago.

The Autumn crush at Deschamps is 100% manual and definitively old school. There are no mechanical harvesters; just a few sets of hands methodically picking and sorting into small baskets. Fermentation of this wine occurs in neutral French oak barrels and only with the aid of the indigenous airborne yeasts in Marc’s vineyards and cellar. Unlike most neighboring properties in the Pouilly-Fumé AOC, there are no additives or packaged yeasts used here. This is an overtly humble and understated property and for Marc, time and patience – not technique or modern technology – are the two most important ingredients in his “recipe”. So, while the majority of this region’s wine is fermented and bottled quickly after harvest in a rush to be first to export market, Marc waits many months before even racking his wine off the lees, and then back into to neutral French oak barrels before bringing them to the cold basement of his next door neighbor where they hibernate until the following Autumn.

Thereafter, Marc wheels the barrels back across the driveway to his basement where the wine is bottled and then rests for another three years in bottle before release. I cannot stress enough how much depth and character this slow, thoughtful process adds to the wine, and how important it is in terms of distinguishing Marc’s classic and extraordinarily complex style from the middling “sauvignon plonk” that is typically exported from this region. There is just not a huge market for barrel-aged, late release Pouilly Fumé – as a result, before the recent eruption in enthusiasm for Marc’s wines, there was little demand for this cuvée. So, today I enjoy drinking Cuvée Vinealis even more because I recognize that this is a product of unwavering integrity, and I am grateful that Marc’s strong conviction that this thanklessly patient (and likely profit-less) process is the best way to express his oldest vines’ character. For some great wine producers, the accolades come late in their career – it makes me happy that Marc could probably care less!

In the glass, the 2011 Marc Deschamps Cuvée Vinealis has a light golden yellow core, transitioning to steely, almost green tones with amber and translucent highlights on the rim. Initially, the wine rises from the glass with classic Loire Valley lees and fermentation aromas: raw honey, sheep’s wool, preserved grapefruit, barley tea, fresh baked bread, beeswax, and chamomile. But, with the first sip, it becomes obvious there is much more going on behind the curtain – brilliant notes of lime zest, Gravenstein apple, Meyer lemon, grapefruit pith, white peony, crushed limestone and white mushrooms come cascading out. And still later, one realizes that the nose and primary palate of this wine – while surely impressive – are not the star of the show. This wine is all about The Finish. Despite it’s modest alcohol content and medium-plus body, this wine offers an endless and thrilling finish. Long after emptying the bottle the other night, I could still taste unctuously ripe tropical fruits. Just like the highest quality white truffles or Armagnac, this wine stays with you for hours. So, give it an appropriate send-off by decanting for 20-30 minutes before service in large Burgundy stems at 50-55 degrees. As it slowly warms towards room temperature, you will enjoy one of the most chameleonic and exciting wines we’ve offered this year. For those who enjoy cellaring wine, I encourage reserving a few extra bottles. In a strong vintage like 2011, Cuvée Vinealis typically evolves for at least a decade after release, so you have another five years to enjoy this wine. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the importer’s most recently arrived vintage sold out in a matter of days - who knows if we’ll ever see this wine again!