Saumaize-Michelin Pouilly-Fuisse Courtelongs 2023

“The 2023 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Courtelongs, which was served after the Premier Crus, has a bright but cool bouquet with freshly cut green apple, wet limestone and light peach skin scents that become more pronounced. The palate is well balanced, very harmonious and poised, lightly spiced with a bright, slightly peachy finish. Lumiére froid—there is not so much brightness but depth. Drinking window: 2025-2038. 92 points

My tasting with Roger Saumaize was preceded by a long chat in the baking hot courtyard in Vergisson. He was reeling from the hailstorm that had hit some, fortunately not all, of his vines two weeks earlier. That said, some parcels suffered a loss of 80% of the vines. That is not all on his mind. He has noticed how mildew attacks have altered in recent vintages. It used to attack leaves and only transfer to bunches if inclement conditions persisted, treatable by early de-leafing. Now it seems to have mutated into what is being termed “mosaic mildew.” The infection is more spreadable and can attack bunches directly, which is much more harmful and has a greater impact on yields. Saumaize also discussed his wish to pull back from the front line. Now 68 years old, though you wouldn’t know that from his wiry frame, he wants to put his feet up more, though the transition to the next generation is not always straightforward.

Saumaize sees the 2023 vintage in a positive light. Alcohol levels were higher, occasionally reaching 14.5%. “At one point, I was worried that they were more like a Bourgogne Blanc than Mâconnais,” he said. He cites two new practices that helped during the warm six-day harvest: using headlamps to enable pickers to work at night (gaining them a couple of extra hours in cooler conditions) and using portable refrigerated units to keep the fruit cool before pressing.”

Neal Martin, Vinous (08/25)