2022 Pouilly Fuissé, L’Orangerie du Château des Quarts, 1er Cru, Château des Quarts, Burgundy

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or. Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

Château des Quarts was created in 2012 by old friends Dominique Lafon and Olivier Merlin. Olivier manages the vineyard, and the wine is made at his facility in La Roche Vineuse. This monopole vineyard of 2.23 hectares in Chaintré is surrounded by a high stone wall, facing east and overlooking the Saône Valley. The oldest parcel of vines in the Clos des Quarts was planted in 1917. They key to their longevity is the riparia rootstock and an old-school training and pruning regime. From the ’20 vintage, the vineyard has been elevated to Premier Cru status.