Not everyone has the budget to fill their cellar with Puligny-Montrachet and other stars of the Côte d’Or. Luckily, the wines of the Maconnais have never been better, or offered more value. Thirty years ago Pouilly-Fuissé brought to mind an over-oaked, over-priced buttery Chardonnay; today the best examples can fool seasoned tasters into guessing Chassagne, and cost half as much.
Sebastien Giroux is a first rate organic winemaker based in the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation. He refuses to be rushed into bottling any of his wines on a rigid schedule, and when he believes a wine will benefit from more elevage, he waits. As such, when many producers are sending us their 2025 price lists, we’re just now getting Sebastien’s 2022s. This extra time allows the wines to develop into exquisite, refined, and perfectly balanced white Burgundies that are some of the best buys we know.
Sebastien raises his Pouilly-Fuissé half in vats and half in oak barrels of varying ages. The vines are at 250m altitude, so offer intensity from their age but fineness from their elevation. The nose is gorgeous and deep, with floral intensity and savory spice; there’s a classy reductive character that could easily be in Puligny or Meursault. The mouth continues the theme and adds a dollop of ripe yellow fruit and a burst of saline acidity; a dry core is perfectly coated in concentrated orchard fruit.
It’s a wine of unusual polish at any price – at $38 it’s a steal.
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Giroux Pouilly-Fuissé 2022
bottle price: $38
