Loire Valley
Domaine André & Edmond Figeat, Pouilly-Fumé
André Figeat represents the sixth generation of père et fils to oversee this family domaine. Expertly trained by his father, Edmond, he tends almost 30 acres of vines (predominantly planted to Sauvignon) in diverse terroirs of the commune of Pouilly-sur-Loire and on the neighboring Côte du Nozet.
Like most successful vignerons, the Figeats cut no corners in their vineyards. They employ a rigorous, year-round natural regimen, relying on the savoir-faire of their forefathers rather than chemical herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. In the modern cellar, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks are used for both fermentation and aging to capture and preserve the Sauvignon character of each Pouilly-Fumé terroir. Domaine Figeat produces two classic, but quite different Pouilly-Fumés: Les Chaumiennes and Côte du Nozet (near La Doucette). In exceptional vintages, the Figeats also produce a prestige cuvée from their oldest vine parcel they call Les Chailloux, which is comprised of flinty silex soil with large stones. While André and Edmond age half of the tiny production of their Les Chailloux Fumé (500-600 cases total) in barrel, JW Selections prefers their unadulterated stainless steel version.
Domaine Facts
| Vines & Wines: | 30 acres in parcels between Pouilly-sur-Loire and Le Nozet Pouilly-Fumé Les Chaumiennes – 100% Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly-Fumé Côte du Nozet – 100% Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly-Fumé Les Chailloux (Prestige) – 100% Sauvignon Blanc (vieilles vignes) Pouilly-sur-Loire – 100% Chasselas Note: Pouilly-Fumé Côte du Nozet and Pouilly-sur-Loire not currently imported by JWS Sustainably farmed (lutte raisonnée) |
| Soil: | Kimmeridgian limestone, gray flint silex, and silacaceous (sandy) clay Prestige parcel on silex terroir called Les Chailloux containing large flintstones |
| Harvest: | Manual harvest using small bins |
| Yields: | 50 hectoliters/hectare on average for Les Chaumiennes and Côte du Nozet 40 hl/ha for old vine Les Chailloux (Cuvée Prestige) |
| Vinification & Elevage: |
Pneumatic press. Temperature-controlled fermentation with indigenous yeast in stainless steel tanks. Wines do not undergo malo-lactic fermentation. Most of the wines remain in temp-controlled inox until bottling. Lightly filtered. Domaine does produce a small amount of a barrel-aged Cuvée Prestige from same Les Chailloux terroir. |
| Annual Production: | 72,000 bottles / 6000 cases |