New premier crus in Burgundy

Wine news came out of Burgundy last week. The French wine region added four new Premier Crus within the Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles appellations.
Text: Ingrid Larmoyeur | Image Pexels

Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles fall within the Mâconnais in southern Burgundy. Four climats (which are demarcated vineyard plots) are now receiving their first Premier Crus status. Since 2006, the area has been working to put the climats on the map, and from vintage 2024 the appellations can be used by winemakers.

Both appellations (Pouilly-Loché with 32 ha and Pouilly-Vinzelles with 52 ha) and are planted exclusively with chardonnay. The best climates with clay-limestone soils are now classified as Premier Crus, as are the neighbours from Pouilly-Fuissé who already got their Premier Cru status in 2020.

Appellations

In Pouilly-Loché it is Les Mûres (7.09 ha with limestone soil), and in Pouilly-Vinzelles the new 1er ceus are Les Longeays (7.50 ha), Les Pétaux (2.76 ha) and Les Quarts (12.45 ha). That is almost a third of both appellations.

The maximum yield is 56hl/ha. the wines must ripen until at least 1 July of the year following the vintage, and all herbicides are banned, just as already applies to Poully-Fuissé. But the new Premier Crus of Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles also has a first for Premier Cru Climats in Burgundy in terms of requirements: manual harvesting is in fact mandatory.

The Burgundy Wine Office is pleased. Mâcon wines offer good value for money within Burgundy and this shows that not all quality wines in Burgundy have to be expensive, said chairman François Labet.

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