In the Maconnais
Jean Pierre Auvigue Macon Village 2003 -- Plus a limited amount of very old vine Pouilly Fuisse
Subscribe to Cynthia's free newsletter
The Macon Vineyards that surround Pouilly Fuisse
The Boston winter gets a grip on us like a dry cork in the neck of a bottle, but when it finally gives, we drink in the first signs of spring more appreciatively than any group I know.
So, can you feel it? It's out there; that certain je ne sais quoi in the air that says "Okay, you can start chirping now." Somehow chirping and spring always remind me of whooping and dipping along the narrow, twisty roads in Macon anticipating some chilled Chardonnay and my next meal...
Macon is that verdant area south of the Cote d'Or and north of Beaujolais. In fact, Macon is part of Burgundy--just not the Cote d'Or. It is home to fabulous, affordable Chardonnay with some of the same qualities as the more expensive northern neighbors like Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet that run $40 a bottle and more. Of course, the wines are not as rare and complex, but if you find some good ones....
That is where Jean-Pierre Auvigue comes to the dinner table. I have been drinking his wines for over twenty-five years. Yes, they have that emphasis of honey and grapefruit on the tongue -- they're crisp and dry, but you know what I like most about them? They have a pure taste from start to finish. There is not a whiff or a dab or an undertone of anything amiss about them. They are just plain well-made wines. Now remember, don't drink an Auvigue (or any French Chardonnay) expecting a lumberyard to come exploding out of the glass, this is a FRENCH Chardonnay.
The flavors are subtle and seductive like a teasingly sheer dress or a raised eyebrow. Discreet, stylish, disarmingly effective. And, in my opinion, flavors that flirt with FOOD in the most provocative way.
The Macon wines of Auvigue come with a reputation. Jean- Pierre is one of the best winemakers in the region. Forgive me if I've told this story before, but I will just regale you newcomers this once. I remember well my first visit to Jean- Pierre's home. First there was a two-hour tasting through all of his whites from several different vintages---I probably went through twenty whites: this vintage, that vintage, this vineyard, that vineyard, this appellation....you get the picture. We then retired to his living room-- a beautiful room with a fireplace I could have parked my car in. We got down to some serious drinking at that point and as accompaniment, polished off a block of foie gras the size of a brick and a dozen miniature eclairs. Whoever says white wines don't go well with chocolate has never had eclairs with an Auvigue. It was all fantastic.
Over the years, I continued to try many Macons, but always came away impressed with Jean-Pierre Auvigue's meticulous winemaking skills. I try not to go long without a visit.
To get technical for just a moment: The Macon region is actually a handful of different villages. There are vineyards associated with these communes which, of course, like every other wine-growing region in France has been carefully classified. The good quality whites start at the Macon-Villages level. There are 43 of these villages (communes) that can call themselves Macon Villages (if the grapes making up the wine come from two or more communes) or Macon something if the grapes have come from a specific commune - for example: Macon-Solutré or Macon-Loché.
Then there is Pouilly-Fuissé which comes from a very specific area that covers several towns including Pouilly and Fuissé. This, of course, is Macon's most famous wine. Its vineyards sit under the massive Solutré cliff which is a landmark of the area and notable because of the bones of ancient animals pushed off the cliff by hunters that have accumulated at the base. Pouilly Fuissé vineyards have a very special situation that yields a bigger, more complex, longer- lived wine. The vineyard areas are very defined on this mountainside: the crest and the bottom are classified as Macon Villages and the only the center of the hill which has better exposure and a solid limestone foundation can make Pouilly- Fuissé. This area gets better ripening and yields a distinct mineral character that adds its typical complexity.
The problem is that Pouilly-Fuise has become very popular and therfore very over produced. Like all the best Burgundies the producer now has become as important (or more) than the classification. Jean-Pierre makes a Pouilly Fuissé from a small portion of his vineyards from just vieilles vignes that are 75- years-old. He ages this wine in oak. The results are rich, buttery fat flavors that can easily rival those of a Meursault and Puligny Montachet village wines (and cost 30% less). I am forever reaching for this wine and finding my hand patting down the inside of an EMPTY carton. I cannot keep this wine on hand!
I asked Jean-Pierre for the 2003 Macon-Villages and 2003 Pouilly Fuissé Vieilles Vignes. That harvest was very successful in Macon and particularly successful at Maison Auvigue. Cynthia Hurley
Comments