2020 Saumaize Michelin, Pouilly Fuisse, Pentacrine, Burgundy, France

Pentacrine is the name of a small, star-shaped fossil found in some soils. The cuvée, a blend of different terroirs of the Vergisson rock settled on scratched limestone. Vineyards are cultivated biodynamically, but not certified. Ripe and aromatic nose with a touch of honeyed fruit, and on the palate intense notes of ripe nectarine, peach and hint of vanilla and smoke as signs of well-integrated oak from both fermentation and aging in barrel. Impressive weight and concentration with a rich, layered palate balanced by fine, mineral acidity on the long finish.

Roger and Christine Saumaize, together with their son, Vivien, own the finest estate of Vergisson in the heart of the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation. Their 14 hectare domaine is cultivated biodynamically and the wines are fermented and aged for 12 months in Roger’s favourite oak barrels made for him in Romanèche-Thorins by Dargaud & Jaegle from oak from the forest of Jupilles near Le Mans in north-west France.