Burgundy 2011 Day 4: Visit to Domaine Thibert

Day 4 then, and the early morning saw us drive South through driving rain towards the Mâconnais and the Cote Chalonnais. Our first stop was Domaine Thibert in Pouilly-Fuissé, an up-and-coming family Domaine now in the hands of a relatively young brother and sister pair - Christophe and Sandrine Thibert. In the time that they have been in-charge, the domaine has gone from selling the whole production in bulk to bottling everything themselves in a very well-equipped cuverie. When the Mâconnais finally gets its classification sometime over the next few months, Domaine Thibert stands to gain a lot, as they hold plenty of prime vineyard sites, many of which should be rated 1er Cru. The land is in good hands though, as I must I was very impressed by the quality and consistency of the wines that the Domaine is turning out. The wines of the Mâconnais were of course in stark contrast with the the wines we had in Chablis on Day 2, rounder, fleshier, more fruit-driven than mineral focused, yet for all that, the practice of picking for freshness and treating the wines minimally have helped Domaine Thibert to turn out wines that are deliciously balanced, focused and evern minerally without losing the Mâcon sunshiny-ness. This was true even of the 2009s, where the Domaine managed to achieve lovely freshness and focus in the midst of a warm, fruity year. I must say that on the evidence of the bottles we tried, the 2008s were even better, given the greater sense of structure and balance. If this is the direction that the Mâconnais is moving in, then some of the flagging producers in the Cote de Beaune better wake-up or they will soon be overtaken in terms of quality. I should add that Sandrine was a wonderful host (along with Christophe, who hopped in for awhile to say hi), popping 10 bottles for our tasting and allowing us to shelter from the rain by having a picnic in their lovely tasting room.

• 2010 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Mâcon-Fuissé 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Fuissé

  An enjoyable little Macon. Lovely crisp nose, with lovely lemons and lime notes, some grapefruit, some pineapple scents - lots of fruit here. The palate was rather pretty, again very fruity, with more pineapples and grapefruit at the fore. Surprisingly, this actually had nice body for a wine of this class, but was at the same time very crisp, nicely balance, with a little touch of mineral at the end. Immensely drinkable. Simple, good fun, a really nice aperitif wine.

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• 2009 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Saint-Véran 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Saint-Véran

  Another really decent entry-level wine. Lovely fresh nose here, with pineapples, apples, touches of spice, some mineral. The palate had a creamy feel to it, with lots of bright pineapple fruit, all held in lovely balance, very enjoyable. It finish with some mineral bits, a touch of spice and more fresh, crisp fruit. Nice.

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• 2009 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Vinzelles

  This was really quite good. Lovely nose here, with limestone notes, fresh lime fruit, apples, a touch of flowers, very expressive without being loud. Lovely palate too, very elegant - it was slightly creamy, but marked by beautifully integrated acidity that underscored its lovely fruit flavours of apples and limes, which had a gentle sweetness to them. The wiine ended in an open, generous finish with a nice lick of mineral. I was surprised by this - a nicely balanced, delicious wine.

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• 2009 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  Very decent. This was a bit creamier on the nose the most of the other wines were, with some creme fraiche scents mixed up with chalky mineral hints and fruity notes of musky melons and apples. Very attractive. The palate was not as together as the 2009 Vinzelles Longeays we had just before though. Here, high acid added freshness to a midpalate that good fruit weight and nice flavours of apples and pineapples. However, there was a clear sense that the acid and fruit were still a bit disjointed. Not the greatest complexity, but there was plenty of quality though, with a nice mouthwatering juiciness and a nice depth that carries it into good finish. Should be a nice wine after it had had a few years to settle down.

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• 2009 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  This was really quite nice. Lovely nose, with expressive aromas of mineral and chalky earth wed to fleshy white fruit and floral scents, very attractive. The palate seemed more tightly coiled than straight Pouilly-Fuissé. It showed lots of minerally depth, some apple flesh and ripe lemons, but plenty of buried stuff under that, all with a sense of coiled up energy and weight. It had a nice juicy length of the finish too with a layer of chalky mineral and plenty of depth. I liked this. It needs lots of time yet, but should make a very nice wine indeed.

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• 2008 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Saint-Véran Champ Rond 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Saint-Véran

  I thought this was very good indeed. Nice earthy nose, plenty mineral and chalk here, along with wafting gusts of fleshy fruit and flowers. Wow. For something so young, the palate was superbly drinkable - round, juicy, fleshy, with lovely pure apples and musky spiciness, but also having lovely structure and acid that carried it into beautifully juicy finish with hints of chalky minerality. Lovely tension and freshness all throughout this wine - a real step up from the still fresh, but rather less defined 2009s.

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• 2008 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Les Cras 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  Another very surprisingly good wine - I found it difficult to choose between this and the St Veran Champ Rond. Vert expressive nose - mineral, stone, a sprinkle flowers and some pineapply fruit scents crown with a dollop of cream, lovely. On the palate, this was the first wine with a noticeable touch of oak, but it was very nicely integrated with fresh apple flavours, some lemons, all pure and elegant, lots of class and finesse here. with a nice juicy finish that showed touches of spice and chalky stone. A delicious, nicely structured wine - I liked this quite a bit.

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• 2008 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  A nice wine - quite a different animal from the 2007, but good in its own way. The nose was very restarined here, with some white fruit scents and a bit of lime skins accompanied by hints of fine minerality and little wet pebble inflections. A bit different from the palate though - a bit sweet on the attack, it showed fleshy pineapple fruit, some green guava and, towards the finish, a clear touch of oak and cream playing background of gentle minerality. Not exactly a profound wine, not quite as serious and focused as the 2007 either, but this was very attractive in a fleshy, Mâconnais way.

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• 2008 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Les Champs 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  This was yet another really good 2008. I liked the nose - it could almost be from Chablis, with Lots of mineral, flint and lime notes peppered over neutral white fruit scents. The palate was pure Pouilly-Fuissé though. Rich, spicy, fruity, with lots of apples, melons and pineapple sprinkled with some flowers. Very fruit driven, but what I really liked was how all this was supported by fresh acidity, ample structure and a wonderfully minerally backbone that carried it all the way into the finish. Very nice, of all the wines we tried, this was probably the best.

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• 2007 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  A nice way to end the tasting. This was a good wine - a bit less depth than either of the 2008s that we had before, but I really liked the sense of definition and focus on this. It had a super mineral nose, lots of chalk ringing around fleshy white fruit scents, some hints of earth and a bit of smoke. The palate was very fine, almost delicate, with bright apples and melons laced with mineral. Lots finesse on the here, so that it felt almost lacy as in slid into a gorgeously pretty finish with lots of apples and spice. Not the most substantial of wine, but there was lots here to like.

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