This is the almost romantic story of a wine closely linked to the land, a superb white Burgundy nurtured and chiselled by a terroir of predilection.
Pouilly is a small wine-growing hamlet next to Solutré.
Fuissé is a picturesque, prosperous village, pure Burgundy.
Their limestone hillsides are steep, well exposed and well protected.
The astonishing profile of the sister rocks of Solutré and Vergisson rises against the sky like the prows of two ships.
At their foot, the most prestigious vineyards in the Mâconnais, Cru Pouilly-Fuissé, cling to the slopes with gentle pride.
Alexis Lichine compared these two promontories to the twin rocks of Gibraltar, the famous Columns of Hercules, which close the Mediterranean to the ocean.
Highly prized by connoisseurs on all five continents, around 75% of Pouilly-Fuissé production is exported.
This is hardly surprising, since at its best, it is the quintessence of Chardonnay, a great white Burgundy of finesse.