2015 Louis Latour Pouilly Vinzelles Les Champs Maconnais 750 ml

The soul of this luxurious, ample Chardonnay, from Wine Spectator’s “outstanding to classic” vintage, stems from 30-year-old vines ensconced in the limestone-rich terroir of Pouilly-Vinzelles—a tiny Mâconnais village that Latour’s been exploring since the days of Prohibition. Winemaker Jean Charles Thomas employs the same attention to the village’s terroir that he uses to craft labels from Latour’s Grand Cru holdings in Corton-Charlemagne, the Côte de Nuits, and Chevalier-Montrachet, resulting in an opulent Chardonnay that mirrors the wines of the neighboring Pouilly-Fuiseé appellation in every way except for the latter’s ever-increasing price. Gorgeously aromatic with a creamy mouthfeel and flavors redolent of honeysuckle and stone fruits underscored by dazzling minerality and vibrancy. 

Vinzelles is a sliver of a village wedged between a millennium-old fortified castle and a 13th-century château in the Mâconnais. Most negociants are too busy rushing past Vinzelles to explore its 122 acres of southeast-facing Chardonnay vines, which spend their days soaking up the character of the region’s limestone-dominant landscape. Such haste gives Louis Latour prime access to the best fruit these succulent vines have to offer.   
 
Burgundy’s whites in 2015 were “ripe, generous, and fleshy” according to Wine Spectator. And this 2015 Louis Latour from the Pouilly-Vinzelles sub-appellation pushes these attributes to their limits. Marked by pronounced acidity and creamy fruit, this is as decadent as Mâconnais Chardonnay gets.