Some songs never get old, no matter how many times you’ve heard them. That’s the way I feel about wines like this Rully from Domaine Gouffier, the kind of white Burgundy you’ve seen countless times on SommSelect: one that upends the long-established Burgundy hierarchy and forces you to re-learn something about this endlessly parsed and parceled region.
In today’s instance, it’s not like Domaine Gouffier, or the village of Rully, came out of nowhere to shock the world—if there are any wines from the Côte Chalonnaise capable of matching, or eclipsing, their counterparts up in the fabled Côte de Beaune, they’re most likely going to come from Rully. We’ve seen it before from Rully favorite son Vincent Dureuil (who was famously name-checked as a favorite of Meursault maestro Jean-François Coche), and we’re seeing it now from Frédéric Gueugneau and Benoît Pagot at Gouffier. We’ve kept close tabs on new releases from this duo over the last few vintages, and they’ve rewarded us with some of the most paradigm-busting Burgundies we’ve ever tasted. Although the domaine itself is quite historic, Gueugneau and Pagot are prime examples of the wave of new-generation talent and energy that is sweeping through Burgundy—especially in under-appreciated precincts like the Côte Chalonnaise. So, while it may have been considered high praise in the past to compare this well-priced Rully Premier Cru “La Fosse'' to a top-tier “village” wine from Meursault or Puligny, I don’t think that’s enough in this case. The established hierarchy is under siege, and I for one am here for it!
Keep in mind, also, that Rully is a mere 11 kilometers due south of Puligny-Montrachet, so it’s not such a stretch to think that a wine from here can’t hang with the Big Boys. It’s even less of a stretch when you get to know the Domaine Gouffier story a little better. The partners started, as many of the best new-generation ventures do, with a passionate commitment to organic farming, which was Frédéric’s first order of business upon taking over the property in 2011. He and Benoit sold off some vineyards, kept their favorites, and poured all their energy into extracting the most pristine fruit possible from them. They also obsess over barrels, using only a single cooper based in Cognac, and the attention to detail is evident in everything they produce.
Their backstory is interesting as well: Domaine Gouffier has more than 200 years of history in Fontaines, a village sandwiched between Rully and Mercurey in the Côte Chalonnaise. The vaulted stone cellar is spectacular, and is believed to have been used as a bunker during the Napoleonic Wars. Many generations of the Gouffier family ran the wine estate over the years, and Frédéric, a native of Fontaines, worked for Jerome Gouffier before moving away. Frédéric spent eight years in Chablis at the acclaimed La Chablisienne, but moved back to Fontaines to assist Gouffier when Jerome became ill. He eventually took over day-to-day operations, and, when Jerome passed away, took full control of the property at the behest of the Gouffier family. He and Benoit, an enologist, took stock of the existing vineyards and held on to just 5.5 hectares across eight appellations. The “first” vintage from the new regime was 2014, and they’ve been moving from strength to strength ever since.
The “La Fosse” vineyard is one of Rully’s 23 Premier Crus and is planted to both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Gouffier counts Dureuil-Janthial among its fellow bottlers of a wine from this small site, and it doesn’t suffer by comparison: The pedigree of this ’18 is readily evident from the jump, with aromas of rich yellow apple, lemon curd, white flowers, wet chalk, fresh cream, hazelnut paste, and a hint of wood smoke. The combination of textural density and racy acidity is simply stunning, and while the wine does drink beautifully after 30-60 minutes in a decanter, I will be thrilled to re-visit this wine in 3-5 years’ time, because it promises to be explosive. In the meantime, serve this wine in Burgundy stems and allow the temperature to creep up past 50 degrees for maximum expressiveness. There are myriad choices in terms of food pairings, but whether it’s chicken, fish, pork, cheese, salad, you name it—prepare to be blown away. We opted for something decadent in the attached recipe because this one deserves it. Enjoy!
