La Roche de Vergisson is hard to miss when driving south from the Côte d’Or to the hamlet of Vergisson. The massive rock looms over the small town like a massive ship’s prow. On almost all sides are some of the finest Chardonnay vines in France – in Vergisson that means exclusively Pouilly-Fuissé (Mâcon-Vergisson ‘La Roche’ being the only exception.) This is the epicenter for intense, mineral driven French Chardonnay.
Location is everything. On a clear day it possible to see Mont Blanc from these rocks. Peaking at 485 meters, these are the highest altitude vineyards in the entire appellation (which means grapes ripen slowly and retain more acidity in the cooler climate) At one time these two rocks were coral reefs, with the evidence of shells and fossils easy to find in the rocks and vineyards. Everything that is needed to make world-class Chardonnay is found in this town, with all of the vineyards containing about twelve inches of dirt before you hit solid bedrock.
Lying in the shadow of this grand rock is one of the finest estates in all of Burgundy and unquestionably the master of Vergisson, Domaine Daniel et Julien Barraud. With holdings in the best and oldest vineyards in the region, the wines are a PhD level course in world-class Chardonnay.
The viticultural history of the Barraud family began in 1905, when Jean-Marie Barraud first purchased parcels in Vergisson, the highest point in the Mâconnais. Since that time, Daniel Barraud, along with his son Julien and wife Martine (the master of the vines), have turned his family’s domaine into the benchmark producer of the region and a must-have for all Burgundy lovers. The heights reached by this storied producer mandate that they must now be compared to the best of the Côtes d’Or. This is simply white Burgundy at its finest – and most reasonably priced.
- From old vines (30+ years old) in the town of Fuisse, unquestionably one of the finer villages for Chardonnay in the Mâconnais
- High altitude site that sits above many classified Pouilly-Fuisse!
- Aged in older barrels
Mâcon-Vergisson ‘La Roche’ 2014
- Mâcon-Vergisson “La Roche” is the highest altitude vineyard in the entire appellation (which means grapes can ripen slowly in the cooler climate) and shares the same exposition and terroir as its neighbor Pouilly-Fuisse “La Roche”.
- 12 inches of dirt before you hit solid rock.
- The Barraud MV “La Roche” delivers the quality of wines that sell for three to five times more. After three decades of kicking stones around Burgundy, we can assure you MV “La Roche” is maybe the top value in white Burgundy, bar none. This is the insider’s white Burgundy with gorgeous lemony character and cut that remind us of Chassagne.
WA:90 – “The 2014 Mâcon Vergisson La Roche has a crisp, chalky bouquet with traces of lime blossom evolving nicely in the glass. The palate is well balanced with good weight on the entry, a hint of sour lemon nearly complemented by quite spicy, nutmeg notes, leading to a focused and composed, quite phenolic finish. Very fine.”
- 25 plus year old vines
- Vinified in tank 50% and 50% older wood
- From Prissé (rocks) and Davayé (tons of rocks touching Vergisson)
- 275-300 meters altitude
- 12-20 inches before you hit the bedrock
- Pure, mineral expression of Chardonnay delivers crushed stones, hints of chalk, and laser cut precision
- En Crèches’ sits close to the legendary ‘La Roche’ vineyard in Pouilly-Fuissé
- From the town of Davayé, with a solid limestone base.
- High altitude site with the bedrock very close to the soil.
- Focused, lean and mineral. Delivers the complexity of ‘La Roche’ with vigor and intensity.
- Aged for 12 months in barrel (10% new)
Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Alliance’ VV 2014
- Blend of four Vergisson sites
- From 40-60 year old vines
WA:90 – “The 2014 Pouilly-Fuissé Alliance Vieilles Vignes has impressive intensity on the nose, a little more honeyed than its peers, perhaps a touch more tropically inclined and yet it retains admirable delineation. The palate is very well balanced with crisp green apple, fresh pear and apricot on the entry. Beautifully balanced and complex, it just sashays across the mouth and delivers a wonderfully intense, mineral-driven finish.”
Pouilly-Fuissé ‘La Verchère’ VV 2014
- In Vergisson below the Roche de Vergisson, behind the Barraud home.
- 70+ year old vines
- On a cooler limestone dominated site that endows the wine with a large dose of minerality to balance perfectly with the lemony backbone of fruit. One of the longest wines in the lineup and the cru that consistently hints of Puligny-Montrachet with its luxurious finish.
- Aged 12 months in barrel, then 2 months in tanks
WA:92 – “The 2014 Pouilly-Fuissé La Verchere offers one of the most engaging aromatics from Barraud this year, very complex with white flowers, smoke and orange blossom, an underlying mineralité ready to be exposed with bottle age. The palate is extremely well balanced with superb tension–an animated, energetic Pouilly-Fuissé with the salinity to encourage you back for another sip. This will give so much pleasure over the next decade.”
Pouilly-Fuissé ‘La Roche’ 2014
- From 50 year old vines at the summit of the Roche de Vergisson.
- Aged 12 months in barrel (20% new), then 2 months in tank
- A grand cru of the Mâconnais – one of the highest altitude vineyards
WA :91+ – “The 2014 Pouilly-Fuissé Sur La Roche has a more reticent bouquet than its siblings this year, and needs more encouragement from the glass before it reveals apple peeling, flint and light sea spray aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a waxy opening, very well balanced and nicely poised.”
Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Les Crays’ VV 2014
- From 60+ year old vines located in Vergisson
- Aged 12 months in barrel (20% new), then 3 months in tank.
- One of Vergisson’s most concentrated crus as well as its most mineral and precise—both Montrachet and Meursault ‘Perrieres’ at once.
WA:92 – “The 2014 Pouilly-Fuissé les Crays Vieilles Vignes has another compelling bouquet, not quite as refined as the Verchere, but delivering gorgeous citrus fruit, white peach and melted butter scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is clean and fresh on the entry, hints of rosewater and orange zest on the entry, gaining more and more acidity as it unfurls in the mouth to leave you completely satisfied by the finish. Absolutely delicious.”
Pouilly-Fuissé ‘En Buland’ VV 2014
- From 80 year old vines situated on the hill side of the Rock de Solutrè
- Aged 12 months in barrel (35% new), then 3 months in tank
- The last and slowest of Barraud’s vineyards to ripen, thus the added texture and concentration to the wine.
WA :92 – “The 2014 Pouilly-Fuissé En Bulands Vieilles Vignes has a wonderful bouquet, quite stony and minerally, scents of smoke, lemon peel and a hint of orange blossom, all subtle at first but opening nicely with aeration. The palate is clean and fresh with vibrant citrus fruit, not as powerful as its peers but delivering great tension and spiciness on the long, graceful finish. This is another excellent wine from Barraud.”
BH:91-93 – “As is often if not always the case, this is the best wine in the range with its dense, serious and voluminous flavors that possess excellent mid-palate concentration as well as a copious amount of dry extract that helps to buffer the firm acidity on the impressively persistent finale. I very much like the balance as well as the evident high quality material and this should age effortlessly.”
