Pouilly-Fumé
White wines with a strong character from the Loire they are often called. Their invigorating flint note makes the white wines from Pouilly-Fumé unique. They are ideal food companions, but can also be enjoyed very well on their own.
The best wines from Pouilly-Fumé
White wines with a strong character from the Loire they are often called.Their invigorating flint note makes the white wines from Pouilly-Fumé unique. They are ideal food companions, but can also be enjoyed very well on their own.
Where exactly is Pouilly-Fumé?
At a good 1,000 kilometres, the Loire is the longest river in France. While the Loire appellations line up like a string of pearls on both sides of the riverbank after Orléans, until the river flows into the Atlantic, three appellations in the east towards the Massif Central are relatively isolated. Menetou-Salon is even more secluded. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, however, are located vis-à-vis on the two sides of the river.
From a political point of view, Pouilly belongs to the Burgundy region, as the town is located in the Département Nièvre. But because the town is located on the Loire, it belongs to the local wine-growing region. Just like Sancerre. Both appellations are known for their Sauvignon Blanc wines. And these couldn't be more different. This is mainly due to the soil. And let's take a closer look at that.
Grapes in wines from Pouilly-Fumé
It's clear: Sauvignon Blanc is the big star on the almost 1,200 hectares of vineyards. It occupies over 98 percent of the area. And only wines that are actually made from Sauvignon Blanc are allowed to bear the Pouilly-Fumé as an appellation designation on the label. But that doesn't change the fact that the white grape Chasselas also thrives on soils without flint inclusions. This is a real rarity, because the grape variety is best known for white varieties from Switzerland. Chasselas wines are not allowed to call themselves Pouilly-Fumé, but they can always call themselves Pouilly-sur-Loire.
What terroir can be found in Pouilly-Fumé?
Similar to neighbouring Sancerre, several soil types can be distinguished: soils of finer or coarser limestone fragments (caillottes), soils of shell limestone sediments, clay soils with flint inclusions, and soils of sand and clay. They benefit from the Loire's temperate semi-continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers.
It is the silex soils that make a Pouilly-Fumé so special. They give the wine its legendary flint note, which is so typical of the wines. Sancerre also has silex, but not as much, which is why the two wine styles can be easily distinguished from one another.
Why did Pouilly get the addition Fumé?
To explain the ‘fumé’ part, we first have to look at the soil – and then into the wine glass. After all, ‘fumé’ means ‘smoky’ or even ‘smoked’. This brings us back to the silex soil, which is nothing more than a collection of flint. In the past, people collected this flint to make a fire with it. All you had to do was strike the metal-rich rock against each other and sparks would fly and smoke would develop.
Exactly this smoky note can also be found in the silex soil – and this is absorbed by the vines and transported to the grapes as an aroma. And because a Sauvignon Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé tastes smoky, the grape variety is also sometimes called Blanc Fumé locally. But the white wines have much more to offer than just the typical smoky flint note.
Wine producers
What does a Pouilly-Fumé taste like?
Sometimes the influence of the silex soils can be so strong that a Pouilly-Fumé not only smells of smoke or flint, but even of burnt matches. In addition, there are usually intense hints of blackcurrant and elderberry. Notes of lychee, pineapple and ripe citrus fruits can usually also be found. The wines are minerally and have a lot of pressure on the palate. If the wine has been aged on the lees for a long time, a nice creaminess is added, which goes perfectly with the acidity that is otherwise often present. It is precisely this combination that gives the wines from Pouilly-Fumé their wonderful inner tension.
Incidentally, the winemaker who brought Pouilly-Fumé to the world stage with his wines was Didier Dagueneau, who tragically died in 2008 in an accident with his ultralight aircraft. Since then, his son Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau has been running the domain and is now filling his father's oversized shoes very well. Other well-known producers of Pouilly-Fumé include Domaine du Bouchot, Serge Dagueneau and Château de Tracy.
What food goes well with a Pouilly-Fumé?
You might think that the flinty note makes it difficult to enjoy a Pouilly-Fumé with food. But it's actually fantastic! A Pouilly-Fumé is a real treat with grilled fish such as sea bass or with melt-in-the-mouth octopus. The wines also go very well with crisp salads, grilled prawns or lightly aged cheeses. It is particularly interesting to taste different Pouilly-Fumé wines that come from silex soils and those that do not. You will be amazed at the differences! Take a look at the carefully curated Pouilly-Fumé portfolio at Best of Wines.