If today’s wine looks familiar, it may be because you smartly picked up the 2014 vintage when we offered it a few months ago. And while it isn’t typical for us to offer the same wine twice in quick succession, we weren’t going to let this parcel of 2013 pass us by. There is way too much white Burgundy power and breed to ignore at this price—which really doesn’t come close to reflecting the exceptional wine inside the bottle.
There’s no official ranking of vineyards in the tiny Mâconnais AOC Pouilly-Loché, but if there were, “Les Mûres” would be at the top of the pyramid. Along with “Clos des Rocs” (Giroud’s monopole vineyard and his domaine’s namesake), this is Premier Cru-level real estate—as is evident on the first sip of Giroux’s ’13, which to my palate is similar to the ’14 in terms of its richness and persistence but has a touch more acid and structure for aging. Given their relative rarity and obvious quality, these wines remain so modestly priced it’s possible to stock up and enjoy them regularly. I’ll tell you this: “Les Mûres” oozes breed and purity, and one bottle leads to another very quickly. Whether you’ve already used up all your ’14 or are experiencing “Les Mûres” for the first time, this is one of the very best white Burgundy values I’ve ever seen. We have enough to offer up to a case per customer today, and that’s a quantity well-worth considering.
Farmer-winemaker-owner Olivier Giroux does not share the work habits of some of his more well-heeled neighbors in Burgundy. He says, “It is just me here—I’m a peasant. I tend the vineyards. I make the wine. I take care of the marketing.” Olivier’s work ethic and dogged self-reliance results in single vineyard wines of stunning purity and character while the absence of payroll or subcontracting at his small property means prices remain refreshingly low. Across the board, his wines are full of terroir and recall Burgundy’s golden era in the the 1960s and 1970s.
Giroux developed an early interest in winegrowing in southern Burgundy’s Mâconnais region. Following university-level wine education and a decade spent honing his skills with large producers in the Rhône Valley, Olivier longed to return home to realize his dream of bottling white Burgundy. He believed the soft, rolling hills of his youth still remained more focused on soil and farming versus what he perceived as the Rhône’s preoccupation with technology and stylistic cellar decisions. Fortunately for all of us, the obscurity of the Pouilly-Loché appellation meant that with Olivier’s purchase of Domaine du Clos des Rocs in the mid-2000s, he acquired an impressively diverse 15-acre collection for the price of what even a few rows in one of Burgundy’s more prestigious vineyards might cost. Olivier immediately set to transition all farming on the property to organics while renovating the cellar to prioritize cleanliness and efficiency over faddish technology.
Abutting the southeastern side of Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché is a microscopic appellation (79 acres under production compared to its neighbor’s 1,900) that is quietly emerging as one of my favorite areas in the Mâconnais. Olivier’s 40-year-old, organically farmed vines in the
lieu-dit of “
Les Mûres” are planted in limestone soils and harvested by hand. Sorting is carefully carried out in both the vineyard and winery and the Chardonnay ages in 50% stainless steel and 50% neutral barrel for approximately 12 months.
In the glass, the 2013 “Les Mûres” displays a bright straw-yellow core with deep yellow and bright green reflections leading out to the rim. As noted above, this vintage has a more linear, mineral character than the luscious 2014, suggesting a somewhat longer cellar life ahead of it. The bright yet assertive nose includes aromas of citrus blossom, yellow apple, oyster shell, lemon meringue, acacia blossoms, button mushroom, and wet stone. The palate is wonderfully textured, like the ’14, but buttons up with a more citrusy, mineral finish. It is impressively broad and balanced and should be absolutely singing on its 10th birthday, should you manage to hold onto any that long: It drinks beautifully now with 30 minutes in the decanter, so feel free to pulls some corks and serve it at 50-55 degrees in Burgundy stems. With summer here in earnest, some grilled fish feels like a perfect accompaniment. And sometimes, as in the attached recipe, it’s what the main protein comes with that cements the pairing. Check it out, and enjoy!
