The Pouilly vineyard goes back to the Gallo-Roman era and subsequently developed thanks to religious congregations, in particular the Benedictines, to whom the vineyard was sold for « 3,100 cents and a silver pomace ».
The appearance of Phylloxera in 1890 would thwart this beautiful development, but the determination of the winegrowers and the delimitation of the production area in 1927 would allow the vineyard to restore its coat of arms, as shown by the fact that in 1937 it was awarded the appellation de Pouilly-Fumé (or blanc-fumé de Pouilly).
Located in the Nièvre, on the right bank of the Loire Valley, near Nevers, straddling seven municipalities, the Pouilly vineyards cover 1200 hectares and produce 70,000 hectolitres of wine per year.
The soil that hosts the vines is very rich and consists of flint clay, marl with small Kimmeridgian oysters and limestone.
But why does the adjective "smoked" characterize the term Pouilly? The clusters explain everything to you. There are two explanations for this. One comes from the terroir and the other from the grape variety. It should be noted that Pouilly-fumé wines are produced only from Sauvignon Blanc, a grape variety characterized by bunches of small ovoid grains that are covered with a smoky grey bloom when ripe. This is therefore the first reason why we are talking about Pouilly-Fumé. The second reason for this adjective is the aromas released by this wine. Indeed Pouilly-Fumé has a bouquet and aromas of "smoked" that are incomparable and recognizable among all and that makes it unique and famous.
Visually, you can see that the colour of Pouilly-Fumé is pale gold. On the nose and on the palate, Pouilly-Fumé reveals all the richness of its terroir because even if all Pouilly-Fumé wines reveal aromas of citrus fruit, mint and fern on the nose, each wine will be different depending on the nature of the soil in which the vine was developed. Thus, in the flint, the wine has more vegetal and mineral aromas on the nose and the palate is firm and structured while in the marls Narcissus nuances tickle the nostrils and a full and firm palate.
What about food and wine pairings? To accompany this wine from the Loire Valley, nothing beats stuffed tomatoes, poultry or even Chavignol manure.
