Domaine Parisse Pouilly-Vinzelles 2013

Pouilly-Fuissé is, unarguably, the headline act in the Mâconnais region of southern Burgundy, producing luscious, full-bodied Chardonnays. But have you ever thought, ‘I wonder what the wines from next-door to these famous names? Do they not share much in terms of soil, climate and aspect? And are they not, therefore, comparable in style and quality?’ Well, we would say ‘you’re not far wrong there,’ because this Pouilly-Vinzelles, with its ripe stone fruit, gentle spice and notes of grilled nuts, gives its neighbour cause for concern…

Six generations of the Thibert family have been winemakers, however André and Renée Thibert only founded their own business in 1967 with two hectares of vines. Today this has expanded to 22 hectares of vineyards. Christophe and Sandrine Thibert joined their parents in the mid-1990s and they now run the domain.

The philosophy of Domaine Parisse is to make quality wine that reflects the various terroirs of the Mâcon region. With this in mind a range of single-vineyard cuvées are produced. While a number of organic principles are followed, these are balanced by conventional farming to reduce the element of risk.

Christophe Thibert has worked at his family domain since 1990 and was joined by his sister Sandrine in 1998. Together they have overseen the transition from selling in bulk to producing a range of high quality individually bottled, terroir-specific wines, while steering the domain towards organic viticulture and expanding the vineyard holdings.

The vineyards are farmed organically (although not certified) and a lutte raisonnée approach is adhered to. Harvesting is mainly by hand, with some sectors harvested by machine in the early morning or late evening when the temperature is lower. This wine comes from a two hectare vineyard of 42 year old vines and is vinified in small oak barrels, of which 10% are new, then aged for nine months prior to release.

This is a lightly oaked dry white from the southern part of Burgundy in France. Made from Chardonnay, it is medium-bodied with aromas of ripe peach, a hint of grapefruit, with complex notes of grilled nuts and minerals. The palate is medium-weight with excellent weight and depth and soft stone fruit flavours and a touch of spice. A thread of stony acidity underpins the fruit and leads to a long, dry finish. It would work superbly with a creamy chicken risotto.