Geography
Pouilly-Fumé sits on the right (east) bank of the Loire, directly opposite Sancerre. The vineyards are concentrated around the village of Pouilly-sur-Loire and run east into a series of plateau and hillside sites. The geology overlaps significantly with Sancerre: Kimmeridgian limestone (terres blanches), caillottes (smaller limestone stones), and silex (flint), though the proportions differ. Silex is more prominent here than in Sancerre, contributing to the appellation's signature 'fumé' (smoky) character.
The wines
Pouilly-Fumé is 100% Sauvignon Blanc: no rosé or red is permitted. (The neighboring Pouilly-sur-Loire AOC produces white wine from the older Chasselas grape; the two are different appellations despite the geographic overlap.) The 'fumé' in the name refers to the silex-derived smoky character that the appellation is famous for, though some interpretations also trace it to the historical practice of fermenting on the lees with smoke from oak barrels.
Style of the wines
Pouilly-Fumé Sauvignon Blanc: lime, gooseberry, white peach, white pepper, gunsmoke and flint, wet stone, sometimes a more pronounced waxy-honeyed character than Sancerre. The wines are slightly fuller-bodied and less linear than Sancerre at the entry level, with more aromatic intensity. Didier Dagueneau (the modern legend of Pouilly-Fumé, who died in 2008) elevated the appellation to fine-wine status with his Pur Sang, Silex, and Astéroïde bottlings.
How they age
Top Pouilly-Fumé ages fifteen to twenty-five years. Didier Dagueneau Silex (Pur Sang and Silex are the famous single-parcel bottlings) ages thirty years and develops a honey-and-petrol complexity rivaling top Mosel Riesling. The wines are some of the most age-worthy dry Sauvignon Blancs made anywhere.
Producers we know
Domaine Didier Dagueneau (now run by his children Louis-Benjamin and Charlotte: the family's Pur Sang and Silex are reference wines), Château de Tracy, Domaine de Bel Air, Domaine Henri Bourgeois (also produces in Sancerre), Domaine Pascal Jolivet, Domaine Masson-Blondelet.
On our shelves
Wines in the catalogue that match this entry by appellation name.