Sarah Marsh MW explores the newly accredited Mâconnais premiers crus of Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles in the company of leading local organic growers, Olivier Giroux and Jean-Philippe Bret.
It took 18 years for the Mâconnais villages of Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles to receive accreditation from the INAO for four premiers crus. These are Les Mûres (7.09ha [17.52 acres]) in Loché; and in Vinzelles Les Quarts (12.45ha [30.76 acres]), Les Longeays (7.5ha [18.5 acres]), and Les Pétaux (2.26ha [5.58 acres]). The first vintage is 2024, which will come to the market in 2026.
The lengthy process was spearheaded by two high-profile organic producers, Olivier Giroux of Domaine du Clos des Rocs in Pouilly-Loché and Jean-Philippe Bret of Domaine Soufrandière in Pouilly-Vinzelles. In order to use the premier cru classification no herbicides can be used in the vineyards which must be manually harvested. “We are committed both to quality and sustainability,” Olivier says.
The surface area of the premier crus of Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles is dwarfed by Pouilly-Fuissé’s premiers crus. But the total surface area for both villages is small. Loché has just 32ha (80 acres) of which 65% is managed organically and 25% is sold to the local co-operative. Vinzelles has 52ha (128 acres), of which 45% is organic and 40% is sold to the co-op. There are only five domaines based in Loché and seven in Vinzelles, while across both villages there are approximately 60 growers cultivating less than 0.5ha (1.2 acres), with many of them selling to the co-operative.
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The local co-operative (cheekily called La Cave des Grands Crus Blancs) objected to hand-harvesting and the ban on herbicides. They lost the argument, but continue to accept fruit from growers using herbicides in the premier cru, thus forfeiting the classification—a huge wasted opportunity to aim for higher quality, fulfil the potential of the terroir, and promote the premiers crus, not least as they sell to visitors at the cellar door in Loché. I tasted their Les Quarts and Les Mûres. Dismal.
As president of the growers’ syndicate, it is Olivier Giroux’s job to police the vineyards, reporting those using herbicides or machine harvesting where they shouldn’t. We walked and talked in the premier cru vineyards stopping to assess the contrast between the land of those who are cultivating the soil responsibly and the lunar landscape where herbicides had been used. There was moss growing in the top section of newly minted premier cru Pétaux, a “sure sign of a dead soil,” says Olivier.
Pouilly-Loché and the complicated case of Les Mûres
Let’s start in Loché where Les Mûres (blackberries) proved quite complicated to ratify. Originally it was 9ha (22 acres). After the soil scientists had assessed it, the INAO discounted the top section, reducing it to 5ha (12 acres). Olivier challenged this on the basis that the calcareous clay continues up the slope, which was upheld, gaining 2ha (5 acres). “It was correct that the very top should be discounted as the soil is sableux over deep clay.” Potential premiers crus were assessed on terroir ,“usage” (historical precedent), and three blind tastings of several vintages.
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Les Mûres is east-facing on a gentle slope quite close to the mother rock with a thinnish top soil. “You get the richness of the terroir with the dynamic style of the limestone,” remarks Olivier. “It’s always generous, but salty to finish. In Loché we harvest a week later than Vergisson. Mûres can gain 1% potential alcohol very rapidly. To keep the balance is not easy.” Mûres is produced by six winemakers and all but 0.5ha (1.2 acres) is managed organically. No moonscape there.
Incidentally Olivier tells me that Clos des Rocs, (a monopole, tipping slightly northwards, belonging to Olivier) was discounted for promotion on the grounds that he is a significant owner (4ha [10 acres]) of Les Mûres. Well, even new appellations are not perfect.
A small road runs along a tiny ridge dividing Mûres from Pétaux in Vinzelles where the orientation is south. The lower section of Pétaux belongs to Château de Vinzelles and is managed organically, while the upper part, owned by a herbicide-using grower, is sold to the co-op. “Pétaux always had something to offer in the blind tastings,” recalls Olivier. I was underwhelmed with the sample of 2024 from Château de Vinzelles which had nothing distinctive about it. At the time the estate was in transition to Jean d’Arthuys, a businessman with interests in TV and football, so maybe someone took their eye off the ball. This 60ha (150 acres) estate has unexploited planting rights within Vinzelles which will probably see the surface of the village increase by 8ha (20 acres) under the new ownership.
On the BIVB’s terroir map, Mûres and Pétaux share the same soil profile—“argileux caillouteux sur calcaires durs a entroques” (stony clay on hard limestone)—with neighboring Les Buchardières, which Olivier explains was discounted on the grounds that it is not produced by anyone, so there was no history and nothing to taste, except for a parcel in production on an east-facing slope directly in front of the 17th-century château. Olivier believes it would certainly have qualified for premier cru. However, ten years ago the owners registered it as a lieut-dit “Château de Vinzelles” and were not prepared to relinquish the name; apparently premier cru cannot include the word château. Another one slipped through the net.
Les Quarts and Les Longeays: Morning sun
Next up is Les Quarts and its southerly neighbor Les Longeays. These occupy an east-south-east slope which catches the sun until the evening. Adjacent to Longeays, is Chaintré, Aux Quarts—part of the Pouilly-Fuisse stable of premier cru. Olivier considers the overarching village profile of Loché and Vinzelles similar to the rich, full-bodied style typical of Chaintré village.
Les Quarts and Longeays share a deep clay profile. Jean-Philippe Bret is the largest owner of Les Quarts with 4ha (10 acres). Bret also has vines in Longeays, but here Domaine Thibert (based in Fuissé) is the major proprietor with 1.2ha (3 acres). Jean-Philippe tells me there is more iron in the soil in Les Quarts than Longeays and the quality of the clay is superior. He thinks the premier cru delimitation of Les Quarts extends too far down the slope, below which it becomes Vinzelles and, on the flat, Macon-Vinzelles, but his concerns were overruled. In neighboring Chaintré there is a similar argument that Le Clos Reyssier extends too far, but that squeezed into premier cru on the grounds of historical precedent. Olivier remarks ruefully that many factors come into the process of defining a premier cru. “There’s always a discussion.”
The soil map indicates a stony strip along the top of both Les Quarts and Longeays. From this part, Jean-Philippe produces Les Quarts Cuvée Millerandée from 80-year-old vines. This has an extra level of intensity, earthiness, and grip, while from the section below he makes his main cuvée from 50–80-year-old vines, which is generous with greengage fruit even in 2024. In comparison with Les Longeays, Les Quarts is more muscular and full bodied, while Longeays is supple and charming. In Longeays, Sophie Cinier has 0.1ha (0.25 acres) of 120-year-old vines from which she produces around 800 bottles. She describes her lively Longeays as elegant compared with her Pouilly-Fuissé, premier cru Vers Cras. Domaine Thibert makes a richly textured, showy Longeays.
It can’t be ignored that Jean-Philippe and Oliver, as the largest landholders, have benefited more than any other producer from the premier cru promotion, but Oliver will not increase his prices.“We should respect the customer and not repeat the mistake of Pouilly-Fuissé.” I believe him when he says “it’s not for us but for the next generation.” Of most significance to Olivier is the “recognition that Loché and Vinzelles have the quality to make premier cru.”
