Domaine Figeat's 'L'Héritage' Pouilly-Fumé is a stunning example of the famous French Sauvignon Blanc. Pale lemon in colour, the nose is full of tantalizing citrus and white peach aromas, with a subtle gunflint finish. On the palate, bright citrus and stone fruit notes are well balanced by precise acidity. Enjoy as an aperitif, or serve with seafood, chicken or a cheese board.

About the region and producer

The old Roman road running between the vines immediately behind the Figeat winery in Pouilly-sur-Loire gives an indication of the village’s long winemaking history. For many generations, the Figeat domaine was handed down from father to son until, a few years ago, André Figeat’s daughter, Anne-Sophie, left her successful career as a chemist to join her father in the winery. 2020 was her first vintage in charge of vinification.

Anne-Sophie produces pristine and nicely defined wines from just over 16 hectares of vineyards split between Pouilly itself, the flintier soils of St Andelain and the steeper, calcaire slopes that run down to the river by Les Loges. While the Figeat domaine is one of the oldest family estates in Pouilly, they have not shied away from innovation. Their completely rebuilt chai has state of the art equipment, including a pneumatic press and temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks as well as a dry ice machine to protect the grapes on the journey from trailer to press.

Work in the vineyards is meticulous to control vine vigour, including the use of cover crops and summer crop thinning, when necessary, to help produce fully ripe, healthy grapes. Where André’s emphasis was on rich, full bodied wines with higher alcohol, Anne-Sophie aims for a more classic style. Given ripeness came suddenly in 2020, her preference for earlier picking was fortunate. As a result, she has managed to produce wines with a cool and mineral profile, rather than the more tropical flavours attained by many of her neighbours.

The ‘Héritage’ cuvée comes from thirty-year-old vines on clay and flint soils, with each plot vinified separately before being left to mature on lees for 6 months prior to blending and bottling. It displays the concentration that comes with low yields, complemented by a delicate freshness and unmistakable flinty perfume that speaks of this historic Loire village.

Vineyard and Wine Making

The grapes are sourced from the estate's sixteen hectares of vineyards. The vineyards are split between the flint-based soils of Pouilly and the steeper, limestone slopes that run down to the river by Les Loges. This combination of soils lends the wine its distinctive fresh, gunflint character. The vines have an average age of 25-30 years old and produce lower yields of intensely concentrated fruit. The estate uses environmentally friendly methods in the vineyards, such as cover crops and crop thinning, to control vigour and produce fully ripe, healthy grapes.

The grapes were destemmed and pressed with a pneumatic press on arrival at the winery. The must underwent temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel vats to preserve the freshness and bright aromatics. The wine was then aged for six months on fine lees in stainless steel to add complexity and freshness to the finished wine.