Deux Roches Vieilles Vignes Pouilly-Fuissé 2021 (Burgundy) - Wine Review

Happy Thanksgiving! Tonight's white wine review is a lovely white wine that I first tasted just over a year ago and am delighted to see it arrive at the LCBO as part of the September 21st LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection as an Online & Flagship Exclusive and available at 17 stores in Ontario right now.

Deux Roches is the Burgundy winery of Collovray et Terrier. The Domaine is situated in the heart of the picturesque Mâconnais landscape, in the village of Davayé, and focuses mainly on white wines made with Chardonnay in the Mâconnais style.

The story of Deux Roches, which means "Two Rocks", begins in 1928 when Joanny Collovray settled in the small village of Davayé, a few kilometres west of Mâcon, in the south of Burgundy. He farmed the land, made goat cheese, and grew various crops, including vines. As a simple tenant farmer, he made some wine on the property and the merchants took care of selling it, and in 1940, Collovray was mentioned in the press for the quality of his work. In 1956, his son, Henri Collovray, took over the property and extended the family's vine holdings by purchasing a few parcels in the Mâcon-Davayé appellation. At the young age of 16, Henri's son, Christian, began working the vines and later gave up animal farming to focus solely on winegrowing.

The Terrier family had no history of cultivating vines. Léon Terrier was the village blacksmith and always worked alongside local winegrowers. Growing up in this environment, Léon's son, Jean-Luc Terrier, chose to go to an agricultural college and specialize in viticulture. Jean-Luc crossed paths along the way with Christian, his neighbour and childhood friend, and together they shared a love of the vines and wines.

Christian and Jean-Luc's bond grew even closer when they married two sisters, Brigitte and Florence, who were also from a family of winegrowers. The two couples had a dream to create an estate together to make wines from Christian and his father's vines, and in 1986 the dream became a reality. The vines were grouped around the two rocks of Vergisson and Solutré, which led to the name "Deux Roches". From the beginning, each member of the two families played a role, with Christian tending the vines, Jean-Luc responsible for the cellar and sales, and both Brigitte and Florence first worked the vines, then looked after bottling, and finally devoting themselves to administrative and commercial matters as the business grew.

In 2009, Julien Collovray, son of Christian and Brigitte, joined the family business following his studies in viticulture, oenology, law, and economics, and various experiences at other wine estates. In 2012, Caroline Collovray, Julien's wife, also joined the estate as an oenologist with experience in several estates. In 2019, Pierre-Alexis Terrier, son of Jean-Luc and Florence, returned to the Domaine after completing his studies abroad and working in the vines and the cellar at both Davayé and Antugnac in Languedoc.

The philosophy at Deux Roches is to craft wines that express the unique terroirs of the Mâconnais, while working the soil and respecting the vegetation. Their goal is to have perfection, which means mastering each step from the vineyard to bottle, and includes adapting to the year's weather conditions by evolving and experimenting with each parcel. Since 2017, Deux Roches has earned High Environmental Certification for their commitment to the environment, where they use natural processes and minimize inputs to anticipate disease and manage the vineyard, while also promoting and encouraging biodiversity. Collovray et Terrier also work to have the least possible environmental impact in the cellar, including minimizing the use of water and limiting energy use from non-renewable sources.

Domaine des Deux Roches has two lines of wines within their portfolio - the Timeless Collection and the single vineyard Parcel Selections. The Timeless Collection of wines are exemplary, accessible, and made for drinking and sharing with enjoyment for immediate pleasure. The Timeless Collection wines are blended from several vineyards and aged in stainless steel or oak. The aim of the Timeless Collection is to give true expression of the appellations, while also corresponding to their vision of the Mâconnais style - great classics that never cease to please!

This white wine is from Deux Roches' Timeless Collection. It is 100% Chardonnay from 60 to 100-year-old vines grown on the estate and from selected parcels grown by long-standing partner winegrowers who are friends and family. The vines are planted on mainly limestone clay hillsides near the Rocks of Solutré and Vergisson, and also at Chaintré and Fuissé. The selection of grapes from these sites allows Collovray et Terrier to produce a delicate, mineral wine, with bright and refined aromas, as well as a rich, solid structure. To vinify this wine, the grapes were harvested and gravity-fed into pneumatic presses. Pressing is long and slow to ensure that the juice is delicately extracted and to preserve aromatic finesse. The resulting must is cooled and decanted, followed by alcoholic fermentation in barrel, with 20% in 600 L demi-muids, and less than 10% is new wood, followed by ageing on its fine lees until spring. Inputs are restricted during the entire process, including the use of sulphur dioxide.

The 2021 vintage was a challenging one in Burgundy that began with a hard winter frost, along with pests and disease that wreaked havoc in the vineyards and reduced yields. It was a cool-ish summer, with wine quality determined by hard work in the vineyard and winery. Let's see how this 2021 Chardonnay from Pouilly-Fuissé in Burgundy is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

DEUX ROCHES VIEILLES VIGNES POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2021 - AP, Burgundy, France (#488825) (XD) - $49.95
100% Chardonnay. The medium+ to medium-high intensity nose takes a while to reveal the maturing, earthy, stony mineral aromas mingling with baked apple, lemon peel, and whiffs of mushroom and nut. On the dry, medium-full bodied palate it is deliciously flavoured, structured, and complex with lovely orchard fruit, apple, pear, lemon citrus, white peach and spice flavours backed by nutty notes and a stony mineral core. It has zesty, well-structured acidity, while stony-leesy mineral, orchard fruit, citrus, and mushroom notes with touches of spice lingering on the long, crisp, and very juicy finish. An intriguing wine to enjoy on its own or with poultry and seafood over the next 3-4 years. Recommended buy! Score: 91 pts

One other wine from Collovray et Terrier's Deux Roches label can be found at the LCBO, while the entire portfolio can be ordered through their Agent - Profile Wine Group.