“Roger and Christine Saumaize took over the domaine back in 1978 and, in my opinion, are one of the top producers in the Mâconnais.” (Neal Martin)

Rarely do we equate the leaner, mineral-infused whites from the

Maconnaise with the richer Chardonnays grown in the more exalted appellations further up in the Cotes d’Or of Burgundy, but over the past decade or so, no one has been making more exciting wines from Pouilly-Fuisse, the Macon’s most famous AOC, than the Saumaize-Michelin family. From their cellar in Vergisson, Christine and Roger Saumaize farm biodynamically, hand-harvest all their fruit and barrel ferment everything. Their wines are venerated by white Burgundy fans for their richness, structure, longevity and pure panache and they garner the sorts of scores and rhapsodic reviews one might more associate with the best producers in Meursault, Chassagne or Puligny. Since three of their vineyards were elevated to Pouilly-Fuisse Premier Cru status last year, they’ve become even more sought-after (and expensive). That being said, location matters, and vineyards like the southeast facing hillside called Sur la Roche have been named the top vineyards in P-F’s initial rankings for a reason. This is an outrageously steep chunk of almost pure rock (hence the ‘roche’ in the name) with almost no fertile top soil and Chardonnay vines that date back to just after World War I. In fact, fully one third of the Saumizes’ 2023 Sur la Roche comes from vines aged over 90 years, with the rest coming from a second parcel planted in 1979. That makes for, thanks to the gentle ministrations of Roger in the cellar, a wine of incredible presence, personality and further-up-the-Cotes gravitas. If it’s all stony mineral and structure at the finish, it’s all about its gorgeously delineated fruit at the beginning- and there’s plenty of it!  The 2023 P-F Sur la Roche is rich and concentrated with nuanced white peach, Meyer lemon and Queen Anne cherries vying for your attention with lovely jasmine-y floral notes and a hint of dried honey and a dash of savory pineapple to savor before that siphoned-through-pebbles finish kicks in. Lavish, but at the same time racy and elegant, it’s polished, sophisticated and very long; a classy white that will not only drink well now, but is really built for the cellar. So, yeah, it’s OK to compare Macon with Chassagne once in a while- so long as you have the right wine with which to do it. This is the crème de la crème of the Saumaize cellar and not to be missed. Magnums? Did you say magnums? Yes, we have those too. You may not know when yet, but someday you’ll want one of those! Very highly recommended. 

Decanter: One of their top Burgundy picks. Arrestingly concentrated aromas of passionfruit and grapefruit are accented with flinty mineral notes and hints of white flowers. It all flows through to the palate where the texture positively vibrates with tension, yet lingers gracefully on the finish. The secret is the location; the domaine has 1.65ha of vines aged 40-100 years old, planted at the top of the Roche de Vergisson at 360-390m elevation. Give this wine five years before opening and drink over the next two decades." 94 points