Domaine Michel Redde & Fils - Pouilly-Fumé Barre à Mine 2023

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Sébastien and Romain Redde continue to build on the success of this iconic Pouilly estate, founded in the 1950s by their grandfather Michel. Actively developed by their father Thierry, the range covers the appellation’s five terroirs. They have since structured it into single-vineyard cuvées, spread across the 40 hectares of vineyards (including 1.5 hectares of Chasselas). In 2016, the Barre-à-Mine cuvée was born from a former flint quarry, planted at 10,000 vines per hectare and restored after a titanic effort. The Majorum cuvée represents the jewel of the range, sourced from the oldest vines and produced only in exceptional vintages. The well-equipped winery, meticulous aging, and the two brothers’ drive for improvement cement this estate’s place among the sector’s finest success stories.

Decanter

About the wine:

The nose offers citrus, lemon, and grapefruit, with hints of passion fruit. The palate is very ripe; this is a vibrant style that reveals citrus and floral fruit aromas combined with a firm, mineral, and textured complexity. With beautiful concentration and freshness, this premium wine comes from young vines planted in pure flint soil, sourced from an old flint quarry that was dynamited ten years ago to make way for the vineyards. It reveals the underlying power of the terroir and the concentrated minerality of wines from flint soils. A fascinating wine, full of character, that will benefit from being cellared for a few years.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

The estate was founded in the 17th century by a man named François Redde, a winemaker from Pouilly-sur-Loire. His distant descendant, Michel Redde, revived the winery in the 1950s. Today, his son Thierry and his grandsons Sébastien and Romain run the 40-hectare estate, which is in the process of converting to organic farming.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

This is one of the most ambitious Pouilly-Fumé vintages, yet it remains perfectly rooted in its very hard flinty terroir. Enchanting notes of violet and raspberry: an exceptional aroma found nowhere else. With remarkable precision, it delivers fine definition and nuances. It is already approachable in 2023, a vintage of low concentration.

About the estate:

This historic estate—one of the few to grow Chasselas grapes—is now run by Thierry Redde’s two sons, Sébastien and Romain. Alongside fairly classic wines that are never treated with enzymes or yeast (such as La Moynerie or the very ripe Majorum), the lineup is organized by terroir, at the initiative of the new generation: Les Bois de Saint-Andelain (red flint-rich clay), Les Cornets (Kimmeridgian marl), Champs des Billons (Portlandian limestone), Barre à Mine (high-density vines planted with a crowbar in a former flint quarry), and, most recently, Les Toupées (Oxfordian limestone). The latest vintages are crafted with meticulous care and undeniable integrity.

Vinous

About the wine:

The 2023 Barre à Mine opens up round and open. It is more expressive on the nose at this early stage than other flint-based wines, though this may be due to the youth of the vines. It is delicate yet quite lovely, with floral and nectarine notes. It may not be the most concentrated expression, but it is quite open and displays a maturity tinged with alcohol on the finish (13.5%). The 2023 ends on a tense and somewhat restrained note, as if it were trapped in a straitjacket and trying to break free. This terroir has a lot of potential.