MCF Rare Wine
Domaine Ferret: The Jewel of Fuissé
Of all the producers who were pivotal during my formative years in wine, one who claims a huge piece of territory in my consciousness is absolutely Domaine Ferret in Pouilly-Fuissé.
In the early aughts, when Pouilly-Fuissé was still mostly regarded as Tuesday night wine for people looking for clean Chardonnay on a budget, a taste of the single vineyard wines of Ferret made me question everything I thought I knew about what constituted 'great terroir'.
Here we had wines, from a 'pedestrian' appellation that drank the pants off of wines from those 'great' terroirs of the Côte de Beaune, and did so at pricing that put them to shame, to boot.
Well, having just tasted the 2022s with Ferret's young winemaker, Clement Robinet, I can say, once again, that not much has changed. The wines are crystal clear, balanced and wonderfully complex expressions of classic Mâcon Chardonnay, that offer a ton of pedigree for their price points, especially when compared to the famous appellations to the North.
Clement has implemented a new elevage technique where the wines spend around 10 months in barrel, and are then transferred to tank where they further age until bottling. This, he believes, allows the wines to develop the right amount of texture and weight, but are then allowed to further develop that deeper complexity, while still retaining their freshness.
He's definitely onto something, as these lovely 2022s are round, clean and wonderfully approachable.
Some bottles just bring a smile to my face, and anything adorned with Ferret's awesomely old-school label does just that.
DOMAINE FERRET
Pouilly-Fuissé Clos des Prouges Tête de Cru 2022 - the Prouges is always on the rounder side, and that's certainly the case here with this '22, showing a nice creamy/nutty texture, but the citric/floral elements and delightful acidity keep it light on its feet.
Pouilly-Fuissé Les Perrières Tête de Cru 2022 - where the Prouges is the rounder of the bunch, the Perrières is the racy, linear wine. It's all about high-toned, florals and lime-y citric elements that race toward an invigorating finish. It's one I always have a soft spot for.
Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières Hors-Classe 2022 - both the rounder texture of the Prouges, and the driving structure of the Perrières come together in what is almost always the most 'complete' wine of the lineup, this Les Ménétrières. The Hors-Classe designation was Madame Ferret's way of noting what she felt to be the true Grands Crus of her holdings (Tête de Cru was her equivalent of 1er Cru), and the Ménétrières is always a great example of exactly that. This is White Burgundy of true stature, and a wine that ages gracefully for decades. Stunning.
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Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
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