When I purchased this in 2004 a noted American wine-critic described this and other wines from the producer as being better than Côte-de-Beaune Grand Crus. You just had to try them to know that was a laughable assertion, but they were really nice for the sub-twenty notes price. I put this and an old-vines cuvée wine in one of my cellars and on yesterday’s visit to it I decided five years was probably quite enough ageing for a Pouilly-Fuissé; I was right.
Pouilly-Fuissé ‘La Roche’ 2002, Daniel Barraud
The nose is really quite big, fat and bold, with nutty hints of oxidation, ripe lemon fruit and a degree of minerality. It smells nice enough, but just a bit over-mature. It does smell like type (if mature) Pouilly-Fuissé. It tastes rather fat and nutty, again with hints of oxidation. The fruit is nice, as is the soft texture and the mineral-hints are good to taste. However, ageing for five years hasn’t really done this any favours. On release this was a charming, if not terribly complex, wine of some style and verve. Now it just seems a bit tired and all the favours are somewhat disjointed. It hasn’t gained anything from ageing, only lost its harmony and freshness. There is not the ‘tits out for the boys’-quality it had when younger. It is a perfectly reasonable drink, and I will remain a customer of Barraud’s wines after trying it, I just won’t bother ageing them in future.
