Domaine du Roc des Boutires - Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Aux Bouthières 2023

Roc de Boutires’s Aux Bouthières premier cru offers a superb balance between citrus notes and mineral tension, along with a riper, denser style. It is a wine of impressive elegance that will charm drinkers as soon as it goes on sale, yet it possesses ample structure for aging, even under the scorching conditions of 2023. The grapes come from two plots of 70-year-old, southeast-facing vines, totaling 0.66 ha on clay-limestone soils at an elevation of 260 m in the village of Pouilly. 2024–2045

The Parinet family, owners of Château du Moulin-à-Vent, acquired this 4.2-hectare estate in the village of Pouilly in 2016. Management—from the vineyards to winemaking—was entrusted to Brice Laffond, who was already in charge of their property in Beaujolais. Their vineyard consists mainly of old vines, cultivated using organic methods but without certification. The first vintages suggest that this is set to become one of tomorrow’s leading estates—the emergence of a new and serious competitor in the Mâconnais region. The 2017 vintages were featured in the previous edition of our guide alongside the wines from Château du Moulin-à-Vent. Wines from Cras, Chailloux, and Bouthières will quite naturally become future Premier Crus of Pouilly-Fuissé. The 2018 vintages continue this young estate’s upward trajectory in quality; they beautifully showcase their terroirs through well-suited aging profiles.

The 2023 Pouilly-Fuissé Aux Boutières 1er Cru has a concise bouquet, with wonderful minerality, in a style quite reminiscent of a Meursault. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, fresh, and briny, with lively acidity and genuine complexity on the finish. This finish lingers seductively long after the wine has faded away. Superb.