Domaine de la Soufrandière - En Chatenay 2017

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Exotic, charming profile from the outset. Cold, saline mid-palate. From vines planted on the north face of the Vergisson rock.

About the domain :

The Bret brothers, never short of ideas or inventiveness, have become a benchmark in the Mâconnais thanks to their acute mastery of biodynamic viticulture. Most of the work in the vineyard is done by hand, apart from ploughing and spraying (with tractor or horse), and their vines have become a playground for INRA researchers. La Soufrandière is the family's 11-hectare estate, now certified Demeter. Bret Brothers is the trading activity, buying in grapes and producing 15 micro-cuvées (ten of which are certified organic). The wines are always remarkably energetic, pure and easily digestible. One of the region's model addresses, with complete confidence.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Aromas of blanched almonds, custard, lemon zest, green apples and white flowers introduce the 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé En Châtenay, a medium-bodied, full-bodied and textured wine that's incisive and acidic, combining high ripeness with pronounced acidity in a way that's eerily reminiscent of the 1996 Burgundy white vintage - a year that apparently has little in common with 2017. This is a high-end number, and its evolution will be interesting to follow.

About the domain :

Domaine La Soufrandière is the family estate of dynamic brothers Jean-Philippe and Jean-Guillaume Bret (for reviews of their négociant project, see Bret Brothers), where they produce beautifully satiny, pure, flavorful and expressive wines. Organically farmed and hand-harvested, the grapes are whole-cluster pressed before barrel fermentation, with the wines frequently finishing their maturation on lees in stainless steel tanks to preserve tension.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

Bright golden color. Floral notes of hawthorn, very fine oak, firm chewiness and good density. A mineral wine with a long, well-controlled finish. From a vineyard south of the Solutré rock.

About the domain :

Acquired by Jules Bret in 1947, the La Soufrandière estate in Vinzelles was started by the Bret brothers, Jean-Philippe and Jean-Guillaume, with the 2000 vintage. From then on, biodynamic viticulture was the obvious choice. Certified Demeter in 2006, they continue to experiment both in the vineyard and in the cellar, sublimating their terroirs with infinite care. Cuvées with little or no sulfur are marked Zen on the label. In addition to this estate, Bret Brothers, a high-fashion wine merchant, was created in 2001, and is also featured in our guide.

Burghound