Chateau De Fuissé Pouilly-Fuissé Le Clos Monopole Chardonnay AOC 2018

Le Clos is extraordinarily rich with layer upon layer of ripe apple, pair, and spice. The finish is driven by mineral with a firm gripping acidity Reviews: 92 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2015 Pouilly Fuisse le Clos is the only bona fide walled vineyard (2.69 hectares) in Fuisse that contains a variety of soils ranging from deep clay at the bottom, marne in the mid-slope and limestone at the top. The vines range from 40 to 87 years old and have been blended together since the 2014 vintage. Le Clos is matured in around 75% new oak; one-year-old barrels are employed for the limestone soils. It has a very fine bouquet, with hints of wild honey, quince, marmalade and a touch of apricot conserve that gains intensity with continued aeration. The palate is well balanced with a brisk, lightly spiced entry, just a tang originating from a seam of orange rind, with a potent nutmeg and hazelnut-driven finish that is very harmonious. Clearly the standout cuvee from Château Fuisse this year. 92 points, Vinous (fermented and aged in barrels, 80% new): Palish bright yellow. Very rich, full-blown aromas of yellow peach, fresh apricot, spices, roasted nuts and minerals; this has the weight and salty minerality of a top Puligny wine. Plush, ripe and very concentrated, conveying an almost exotic orange oil and quince aspect to its yellow fruit and spicy oak flavors leavened by saline minerality. The most intense of these 2015s, with penetrating mineral-driven acidity carrying the finish. My favorite of the estate’s ’15s for its energy and concentration--and it may yet improve further with time in the cellar.