Chateau de Vergisson Saint Veran 2022
A serious Saint-Veran. There’s no lack of limestone, which brings with it finesse and subtlety in the nose, and a rich, lemony, mouth-watering saline fruit which is carried on and on to an elegant mineral finish.
After having taken over their family vineyards, Stephanie Saumaize and Pierre Laroche created the Domaine du Chateau de Vergisson in 2012, and were soon turning heads in Pouilly-Fuisse and the Maconnais. The young couple are from two different families of grape farmers, Stephanie from Solutre and Pierre from Vergisson, villages that sit at the base of the dominant limestone outcrops that mark both the terrain and the terroir of Pouilly Fuisse.
Neither family made wine, however. Rather they sold their produce to negociant houses in the area. So when Stephanie and Pierre took over the vineyards, renovated the Chateau de Vergisson as their home and winery and started bottling under their own label, they appeared to come out of nowhere. And for us, it is a match made in Elden wine heaven!
Their first vintage was 2012, so the domain is still relatively unknown. But the quality and finesse of their production thrust them into the limelight here in Burgundy, and we are pleased to be the first to bring their wines to the US.
Le domain lays out over 10 ha (24 acres), mostly in appellation Pouilly-Fuisse, though they also produce appellation Saint Veran and Macon-Solutre.
They have three distinct ‘cuvees’ of Pouilly-Fuisse, notably an old-vine parcel of ‘Sur la Roche’ in Vergisson which was planted by Pierre’s great-grandfather nearly 100 years ago. ‘Sur la Roche’ will soon be elevated to ‘premier cru’ status, so keep this one on your radar. They also have a holding in the tiny ‘Clos en Charmont’ which produces an astoundingly explosive Pouilly-Fuisse.
While their vineyard work is organic, the couple are not ready to jump through the hoops necessary to have the official accreditation. Perhaps in the future, Pierre says. They feel that their installation is still young, so they are taking things as they develop.
Their families used to harvest by machine, but Stephanie and Pierre returned to manual harvesting in 2015. It’s an important change qualitatively. Grapes from quality vineyards in the Maconnais need to be watched closely for maturity. Their’s are wine of great depth, richness and opulence which require attention to detail.
New oak is used judiciously, and only on certain ‘cuvees’. Their Saint-Veran ‘la Cote Rotie’ and the Pouilly-Fuisse ‘Clos en Charmont’ are raised in larger-than-normal (500 liter) barrels, so that oak does not dominate wine.
Up to now, these wines were sold principally in France. But the word is out. With a bevy of gold and silver awards that they started to collect right from their first vintage, the Domaine du Chateau de Vergisson is the new kid on the block and already one of the top producers in the appellation.
BURGUNDY 2022 VINTAGE
After three successive high-quality but low-quantity vintages, winemakers in Burgundy are refilling their cellars with an excellent 2022 harvest.This is not to say that it was an easy ride. Once again, frost, heat and drought put stress on the growing season, but timing is everything, and the extreme weather did much less damage than in previous years.
Winters have been wet and mild for years now. The winter of 2021-22 was not, with less than average rainfall and seasonal temperatures. Under these ‘normal’ conditions, we would expect budburst in the first half of April. But summer-like conditions at the end of March forced the vines, especially Chardonnay, to bud early, and we went into frost season with tender green buds exposed. There were two nights in the coming week below zero, but damage was limited.
Spring conditions set in in mid-April, but Summer followed soon thereafter, dry with spiky heat waves. The vines went wild. Winemakers fought to keep the growth under control. And the fight continued until flowering, which happened a couple of weeks early in mid-May.
The warm, dry conditions led to nearly-perfect flowering. We saw for the first time the potential of a great crop, with lots of beautiful, full, well-formed grape bunches; and an early harvest, with fruit setting well ahead of schedule.
But the drought held, and the fear was that this beautiful fruit would shrivel on the vine. Finally, at the end of June, the rain came. Summer storms bring with them the risk of hail, so all eyes were on the sky as the storms were sometimes violent causing significant but limited hail damage. The rains were intermittent, but regular for the next weeks. The cumulative rainfall would not be enough to see the crop through to harvest, however.
The heat waves continued through the rains, and so the risk of fungal disease, usually associated with wet conditions, dried up. But temperatures spiked and dry conditions set in again. The grapes ripened in a full-blown heat wave. Winemakers had to keep a close eye on sugar levels, as the risk was that ripeness could gallop away at the last minute.
And then, just about the time when it looked like an over-ripe mid-August harvest was imminent, it rained again. And the producers were able to let that water absorb into the fruit, increasing the volume of juice that was ultimately harvested in the first week of September.
2022, both white and red, are showing real depth and ripeness. And while there was once again very little malic acid, the tartaric acid holds the balance and structure together. Early tastings in the barrel show enormous charm and vitality. Very promising.
SAINT VERAN
MACONNAIS
The rocky outcrops of Solutré and Vergisson, emblematic of these vineyards, remind us 20,000 years ago one of the most fully evolved prehistoric cultures flourished here. The region is a magnificent landscape, and the wine villages are charming tourist destinations. Pouilly and Fuisse are two distinct villages in the production zone, but their wines and those from the villages of Vergisson and Chaintre are sold under the Pouilly-Fuisse appellation.
Produced in the communes of Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly, Vergisson and Chaintré.
Wines
Pouilly-Fuisse should be elegant and full of charm, with its distinctive minerality to the fore. It ranges in color from pale to golden, and the nose, often dominated by flinty smoke can be nutty, floral, citric, biscuity, grassy and honeyed, making this one of the most varied of the white Burgundies. Terroir plays heavily in the wines from this appellation, and accounts for the enormous number of named vineyards being bottled separately. An experienced taster can distinguish zones and even individual vineyards. Pouilly-Fuisse, well made, is a noble wine, opulent and structured.
Terroirs
Lying on a foundation of fossiliferous limestone identical to those found further north in the Côte-d'Or, the bajocien escarpments of Solutré and Vergisson owe their dramatic profile to the presence of hard fossil corals which have resisted erosion. The vines are planted on the slopes and at the foot of these two hills on clay-limestone soils of jurassic origin mixed with scree from the upper slopes and, in one spot, schist. The hillsides are cut into by little steep-sided streams which give the slopes an easterly or south-easterly exposure. Altitudes are 200 to 300 meters.
Color
White wines only - Chardonnay
Production surface area
1 hectare (ha) = 2,4 acres
757.20 ha
Food
Rich and complex, Pouilly-Fuisse has a characteristic hint of minerality which makes it work with some noble ingredients like crustaceans (king prawns, lobster, crayfish) and foie gras. When acidity and minerality are in balance, it goes well with white meats such as veal or poultry in cream sauce, as well with the goat's cheese that the region is famous for. Its aromatic power means it can also match spicy and perfumed dishes such as couscous, tajines, or sweet-and-sour oriental dishes.
Appellations
On the label, the appellation 'Pouilly-Fuisse' may be followed by the name of a specific vineyard, known as a climat.
The following climats are village wines from a single vineyard, known as a lieu-dit:
A la Chaneau
A la Cotonne
A la Croix Bonne
Au Bois Billon
Au Bourg
Au Bucherat
Au Buchot
Au Chapal
Au Clos
Au Gaulia
Au Gros Bois
Au May
Au Métertière
Au Moule
Au Peloux
Au Sauge
Au Suif
Au Vignerais
Aux Bouthières
Aux Chailloux
Aux Charmes
Aux Combes
Aux Concizes
Aux Coreaux
Aux Grands Champs
Aux Morlays
Aux Murs
Aux Plantés
Aux Prats
Aux Quarts
Aux Vignes Dessus
Barvay
Beauregard
Bois Dayer
Bois de Lacroix
Bois des Fousses
Bois du Molard
Bois Lafaye
Bois Sansonnet
Bois Seguin
Champ Potard
Champ Ruy
Clos de la Maison
Clos Gaillard
Combe Poncet
Derrière la Maison
En Bertillonne
En Bonnard
En Buland
En Buterie
En Carmentrant
En Cenan
En Champ Roux
En Charmont
En Chatenay
En Chauffaille
En Courtesse
En France
En Larzille
En Nanche
En Ouche
En Pomard
En Pragne
En Recepey
En Ronchevat
En Rontenoux
En Rousselaine
En Servy
En Tancul
En Tillier
En Vallée
L'Arse
La Barrière
La Baudotte
La Bergerie
La Brétaude
La Bucharlatte
La Cadole
La Carrière
La Chardette
La Chattière
La Corège
La Côte
La Croix Pardon
La Dépendaine
La Folle
La Frérie
La Gorge au Loup
La Grange Murger
La Grouillère
La Maréchaude
La Mouille
La Petite Bruyère
La Roue
La Ruère
La Teppe Charpy
La Terre Jeanduc
La Toule
La Truche
La Verchère
La Vigne des Verchères
Lamure
Le Bois des Taches
Le Carron
Le Champ Rocher
Le Clos
Le Clos de Monsieur Noly
Le Clos Reyssier
Le Grand Pré
Le Haut de Savy
Le Martelet
Le Moulin
Le Nambret
Le Plan
Le Repostère
Le Routé
Le Sabotier
Le Sang Clos
Les Belouzes
Les Bois Denis
Les Brulés
Les Chardonnets
Les Chataigniers
Les Chevaux
Les Chevrières
Les Combettes
Les Condemines
Les Courtelongs
Les Crays
Les Creuzettes
Les Croux
Les Fourneaux
Les Gerbeaux
Les Grandes Terres
Les Guilloux
Les Insarts
Les Jettes
Les Longues Raies
Les Ménétrières
Les Murgers
Les Perrières
Les Piasses
Les Plessis
Les Prâles
Les Préauds
Les Prés Hauts
Les Prouges
Les Quarts
Les Robées
Les Rontets
Les Rossins
Les Scélés
Les Séries
Les Terres du Perret
Les Travers
Les Verchères
Les Verchères de Savy
Les Vernays
Les Vieilles Plantes
Les Vignes Blanches
Les Vignes des Taches
Long Poil
Maison du Villard
Mont Garcin
Petite Croix
Petites Bruyères
Pierre Lotey
Plan de Bourdon
Pouilly
Pré de Vaux
Pré des Aires
Solutré
Sous le Four
Sur la Roche
Sur la Rochette
Sur les Moulins
Vergisson
ers Agnières
Vers Châne
Vers Cras
Vers Faux
Vers la Croix
Vers la Roche
Vers Pouilly
Vers Saint Léger
Vignes de la Fontaine
Vignes de la Hys
Vignes de la l'Eau
Vignes de la Roche
Vignes Derrière
Vignes des Champs
Vignes du Riat
Vignes Mottin
Vignes sur la Fontaine