Because you have purchased this or its little sibling, you get dibs on the little bit I have... I offered it last year, saying it was $70 or more... well, Wine Enthsuiast seems to agree, rating it a whopping 93 pts!

Domaine des Granges Pouilly-Fuisse “Vers Cras” 2018

Sale $34.99

93 pts Wine Enthusiast

Pouilly-Fuisse is certainly recognizable to even the most casual Burgundy drinker. But have you ever noticed that there are no Premier (1er) Cru wines from Pouilly-Fuisse? I’d wager that many of you have. The lack of 1er Cru designations diminishes the “seriousness” of the entire region. “Why on earth should I pay $35, even $50 or more for a wine from an appellation that isn’t even good enough to produce Premier Cru?”

And yet, just 100 years ago, the best wines of Pouilly-Fuisse were widely regarded as being in the same class (and style) as Meursault and Chassagne-Montrachet. So what happened? Did the earth change? The dirt? Why did Pouilly-Fuisse get the shaft?

In short… Nazis.*

When France was demarcated in 1940 between occupied and free, the occupied zone ended at Chalon. I’ll save you the trouble of finding a map… this meant that all of the Cotes de Nuits, Beaune and Chalonnaise were in German territory. Chassagne, Meursault, Volnay, Gevrey-Chambertin, etc.. The Nazis decreed that any wine except “first growths” could be requisitioned, without compensation, for the troops. The “first growths” and Grand Crus were purchased for exportation to Germany.

The problem was, very few vineyards at the time were designated as such. In order to save their wine, tradition and livelihood, the winemakers of the region got together and within a week designated as many of the best vineyards as possible “Premier Cru” or “first growth”. Boom. Problem solved.

The Maconnais, home to Pouilly-Fuisse, was not occupied, and hence had no pressing need to declare vineyards. Yet anyone who knew anything knew there were certain areas, or climats, of the region that produced better wines. With time, and the dawning of the information age, everybody knows everything… which is to say, everyone knows nothing! And the negative judgement of Pouilly-Fuisse among other Maconnais appellations has led to where we are today. The best wines of Pouilly-Fuisse typically sell for a fraction price of the worst wines from Meursault and Chassagne-Montrachet.

Till now… or rather, till the 2020 vintage is in bottle. Because the Maconnais producers have spent the past 15 years working towards classification of their region. Approval is expected imminently from the government, and producers will be allowed to use the 1er Cru designation on wines starting with this year’s vintage. Anybody wanna guess what that means? $$$

The climat of Vers Cras is one such vineyard, and is actually considered one of the top sites among the soon-to-be Premier Crus.

Long story short… now is the time to load up on the best Pouilly-Fuisse, understanding the level of quality and supreme value it still offers.

Ok… this gem from Domaine des Granges comes from 60 year-old vines at a relatively high elevation (250 m). Yields are 20% lower than the allowed maximum. Put it all together and you have intense, concentrated and complex flavors. Fermentation and aging is done in larger oak barrels (350L) that range in age from 1 to 3 years old. So the oak influence is low, adding structure and rounding out the mouthfeel, without adding overtly “oaky” flavors.

Close your eyes and you are drinking $70 Meursault… smoky nose of calcaire (limestone) and citrus fruits lead into a tense, vibrant wine. It doesn’t show you all of its cards at first, but with air, floral and stone fruit flavors add to the mineral profile, finishing long and lush.

Ok.. ready? Have at it!


Or reply. The wine is available now in Chapel Hill. Friday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.

*  A generous “Thank you” to author Emily Turner’s article, “Burgundy, the Nazis, and why Pouilly-Fuisse Doesn’t Have Premier Crus”.