Chardonnay
75cl *12.5% ABV * Burgundy France
This is an exciting wine produced from a vineyard of ungrafted vines, planted in 1850. The sandy soils have prevented Phylloxera attacking the rootstock, hence the very rare opportunity to experience such old vine white Burgundy. When a vine dies in the vineyard, the branch of the neighbouring vine is pulled across and planted in the ground - it will start to produce grapes in the following year.
With around a third of the wine fermented in oak, this is a beautifully balanced style characterised by fresh lemon, peach, apple and hints of nuttiness with a long minerally and nutty finish.
Domaine Fournillon is a family-run estate based in the small wine-growing hamlet of Bernouil, in the Tonnerois, home to "The Emperor's Vine, a 200-year-old pre-phylloxera Chardonnay vine. The estate spans 23 hectares, with vineyards across Fleys Epineuil and Bernouil, where Kimmeridgian soils bring the Chablis freshness and minerality to the wines.
Despite the quality, Fournillon remains under the radar, bottling less than 50% of their production. In Burgundy today, this combination of character and pricing is getting harder to find.