Back in my restaurant days, the beautifully crafted white Burgundies of Domaine Saumaize-Michelin were often found on my wine lists. They are the ultimate crowd pleasers, but not in the “lowest common denominator” way that phrase may suggest. Quite the contrary, in fact. Saumaize-Michelin’s Pouilly-Fuissés appeal to two very different kinds of customer: (1) the American Chardonnay drinker who’s just dipping a toe into white Burgundy, and needs a less-austere introduction to the category; and (2) the experienced Burgundy lover who wants Meursault-level quality and depth for half the price.
This 2014, the “Vignes Blanches” bottling from Saumaize-Michelin, is quite a lot of wine for the money. It is lush and substantial, but it finishes with exuberant freshness. It is one of the most consistent values in white Burgundy, and in a white-friendly vintage such as 2014, it’s a wine I would—and did—snap up sight-unseen. Then I tasted it, and all I can say is, Wow! It has an incredibly complex nose, creamy depth on the palate, plus the mineral tension and refreshing acid to balance…the total package for less than $40. Grab all you possibly can!
Saumaize-Michelin is one of the great names in the Mâcon region of Burgundy; Pouilly-Fuissé, for all of its associations with ‘70s fern bars and peoples’ moms, is the most important white wine appellation in the Mâcon. Regardless of how we came to it here in the US (it’s not like ‘pwee-fwee-SAY’ is so easy to pronounce) this appellation has been a wine-list staple for generations. The Saumaize-Michelin estate—its name an amalgam of owner Roger Saumaize’s name and the maiden name of his wife, Christine—is based in Vergisson, one of the four Mâconnais communes that fall within the Pouilly-Fuissé AOC boundaries. The logo on the domaine’s bottles shows an image of the Roche de Vergisson, one of the limestone rock formations that tower over the winemaking villages below.
The Pouilly-Fuissé appellation is known for full-bodied whites, grown in limestone-rich clays much like those further north in the Côte d’Or. When they’re at their best, as in the case of this wine, I liken them to richer styles of Meursault from the Côte de Beaune. Working with about 9.5 hectares of Chardonnay vines averaging 45-50 years of age, Roger Saumaize—who was born here and took over his family estate back in 1978—eschews chemicals of all kinds and plows his soils to control weed growth. He follows biodynamic principles but is not certified, and the health and pristine ripeness shows through in his wines, which he vinifies in a pretty full-throttle style: All of his whites are 100% barrel-fermented and all undergo full malolactic fermentation (a secondary fermentation in which tarter malic acid is converted to softer, creamier lactic acid). Both fermentation and aging (12 months) are carried out in used French oak barriques.
The 2014 “Vignes Blanches,” sourced from 60+-year-old Chardonnay vines, is a unique achievement: It is at once creamy and round and bracingly fresh. It’s like sitting in the sun and then jumping into the cold ocean, and I love it for that. In the glass it’s a deep yellow-gold extending to the rim, with rich, ripe aromas of yellow apple, white peach, bosc pear, honeysuckle, fresh cream, baking spices, crushed stones, and raw hazelnut. These sensations carry through to the palate, which is medium-plus in body and quite palate coating, and then the wine buttons up beautifully on the finish, with a lemon/lime acid flourish. If I were presented this wine blind, I might well call it a Meursault, and for all of its generosity now, it’s not done yet: It’s got another 5+ years ahead of it, with peak drinking likely coming around 2020, but by all means crack open a bottle now. Just 30 minutes in a decanter is plenty, and as it warms past 50 degrees it becomes downright explosive. Pair it with a roast chicken stuffed with garlic and lemon and bask in the afternoon sun with a bottle (or two) by your side. That is good living!
