Domaine Carrette Pouilly Fuisse Ronchevat 2021

Domaine Carrette Pouilly Fuisse Ronchevat 2021

The Pouilly-Fuisse Ronchevat 2021 (the name is in reference to a field of uncleared shrubs) has more rock in the soil, highly conducive to growing lively chardonnay.  Vines are 35 to 65 years old, at 320 meters altitude, and are planted along a steep slope.  This wine is aged in oak (10% new) for 10 to 12 months, and shows notes of ripe fruit (peach, mango), toasted bread, fresh butter, and a hint of spice (cinnamon and white pepper). On the palate, the wine is powerful and beautifully structured, making it an ideal partner for richer fish (halibut, salmon), as well as a blanquette de veau (veal stew).

The Carrettes work very carefully in the vineyard and prefer to protect their plants with organic products (they became certified in 2023) and use traditional plowing to improve air circulation. The grapes are hand-harvested.  In the cellar, a cold soak and soft pressing helps bring forth clear fruit aromas. Spontaneous fermentation takes place with native yeasts, and the wines go through malolactic fermentation. The wines then age on their lees and are bottled in spring or summer, depending on the cuvée.  These are lovely wines of great purity and typicity, reflective of their clay-limestone soils and of their individual sites.