GG_N52_FR

BURGUNDY
APPELLATION
PIERRE CORNU
AN AUTUMN SKY OVER THE ENTRANCE
TO CLOS DICONNE
“Pouilly-Fuissé is an appellation that dates back to
1936, well before St Véran (1976) and the wine sells
for around €19”, explains Bernard Léger-Plumet.
“It always has a little more body and is matured for
between 9 and 19 months in wooden vessels with a
capacity of 400, 500 or 600 litres”. They have tried
stainless steel, but their customers always prefer
wood though only as a complement – “you mustn’t
be able smell or taste it”. The appellation’s reputation
stems from several factors: vineyard sites
that encapsulate a geological era, the Solutrean; a
French President, François Mitterand, who liked to
walk up Mount Solutré; and long-standing exports
to the United States.
The St Véran, which sells for around €14, is always
fermented in stainless steel at the winery. This
is a fine Burgundy wine with a very reasonable
price tag and is often described as “the best value
for money in Burgundy”. They even sell some in
New Zealand! Lastly, the Mâcon Solutré-Pouilly,
also made entirely in tanks, sells for €11.
“The quality of the wines across the region has
come along in leaps and bounds”, stresses Léger-
Plumet, who has taken part in many judging
panels. Wineries have transitioned to bottling
their wines and installed temperature-controlled
tanks. But prices need to stay reasonable because
otherwise New World wines from countries like
Argentina could outpace them.
DOMAINE EDMOND CORNU:
WORSHIPPING LADOIX
This family-run estate located in Ladoix boasts 16
hectares under vine. Pierre, 60, works with Edith,
his wife, Emmanuel their cousin and Lucie their
daughter, with retired winegrower Edmond always
ready to lend a hand.
Ladoix is mostly red wine, explains Pierre Cornu.
Sure enough, of the 100 hectares under vine, only
20 or so produce white wine. The village is situated
just South of the start of the Côte de Nuits. In fact,
the vineyards are divided into two parts – one on
Corton hill, and one that is geologically part of
the Côte de Nuits. The soils date from the Middle
34 SUMMER 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE