2014 Château des Rontets Pouilly-Fuissé Les Birbettes
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
(bottled in July of this year; from 70- and 100-year-old vines planted on limestone): Aromas of citrus zest, white grapefruit and crushed chalk convey a captivating sweetness. Larger-scaled and more intense than the Pierrefolle on entry, then more strict and in need of air in the middle palate, displaying a distinctly sappy character to its taut flavors of lemon, crushed rock and saline minerality. Boasts terrific density and inner-mouth energy. This utterly seamless wine finishes very long and tactile, with terrific thrust, and should evolve slowly and gracefully over the next decade.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(at 13.5%, the highest in alcohol of these 2014s; from the oldest vines in the clos ; this had been racked and blended, then put back into barrels with the fine lees; slated to be bottled next July): Bright yellow. Pure but reticent aromas and flavors of lemon cream and crushed rock; smells rich but nervous. Densely packed, tactile and powerful but not at all heavy, conveying an impression of superb salty cut. Best today on the very fine-grained, steadily building finish. Fabio Montrasi noted that the alcohol levels were actually a touch lower in 2014 than in 2013 and the wines finished a bit drier.