Off the Vine: This Pouilly-Fuissé Should Be on Your Table

Some words are more beautiful than others, and Pouilly-Fuissé is one of them. Say it aloud, and the sound of the letters rings wonderfully; saying it makes one's mouth feel good.

Drinking the wines from this French appellation can also be a pleasant experience. Chardonnay it is, and some very good wines are being produced in the region. I tasted one recently, a 2015 Pouilly-Fuissé from Georges Duboeuf, and I can't wait to get another bottle.

It's a rich, supple wine, and I am curious about how it will taste when cellared for a few years. Now, one gets a bouquet of almonds and citrus, with a hint of vanilla, plus a lovely golden color. I served it at a temperature of around 55 Fahrenheit, and its minerality and slight tang was impressive. This is a wine that I'd easily serve as an apéritif, because it's amply refreshing.

But what about food? Well, we were fortunate during our tasting to have some lobster on hand, which we simply poached in butter. The Pouilly-Fuissé paired with it in an exquisite manner, a combination I recommend heartily. Other options include shrimp ceviche, vegetable pasta dishes, and, of course, oysters.

Pouilly-Fuissé was big in the 1970s, and was mentioned in songs popular at that time, including "Landfall" by Jimmy Buffett — "What'd you say, Pouilly-Fuissé could round out the night" — and "Intravino" by Hall and Oates, in which the duo sang, "Six o'clock gotta have Beaujolais, Eight o'clock I open up Pouilly-Fuissé." Indeed, the great Charlie Mingus drank a lot of it, it seems.

Most of it produced back then was nothing special, according to people who tasted it, and though I cannot personally attest to their opinions, I have tasted some downright forgettable Pouilly-Fuissé over the years. In the 1980s and 1990s its reputation among knowledgable drinkers plummeted, and it largely fell off the radar screen, at least in America.

That has changed, however, and some good examples of it are being produced, including the 2015 from Georges Duboeuf, which retails for about $35. Other names to look for at your favorite wine merchant include Domaine la Soufrandière, Bret Brothers, and Domaine Daniel Pollier.

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— Image of Georges Duboeuf courtesy of duboeuf.com