2015 Pouilly-Fuissé Le Clos Monopole

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The 2015 Pouilly Fuisse le Clos is the only bona fide walled vineyard (2.69 hectares) in Fuissé 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 cuvée from Château Fuissé this year. - Neil Martin, Aug. 2017

Wine Spectator: This is opulent, with a smoky, toasty cast to the peach, lemon and stone flavors. Tightens up midpalate, where the vibrant structure takes over. Builds to a lingering aftertaste of lemon, spice and mineral. Drink now through 2025. - Sep. 2017

Allen Meadows' Burghound: Generous but not dominant wood serves as a less than neutral backdrop to the smoky aromas of orange confit, acacia blossom and apple. As is usually the case this is the biggest and most powerful wine in the range with its rich and full-bodied flavors that exhibit a lovely minerality on the succulent if slightly warm finish where the wood reappears. Even though this is carrying more wood than I personally prefer, it manages to carry its considerable weight and dry extract with grace and while it's no ballerina, it remains well-balanced. - Allen Meadows, Okt. 2017

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. - Stephen Tanzer, Nov. 2017