Château des Rontets Vineyard
It was truly a pleasure to visit Claire and Fabio at Château des Rontets last October. The couple met as architects in Milan, Italy, and eventually relocated to France to take charge of Claire’s family estate in the town of Fuissé, Burgundy. Fabio and Claire don’t subscribe fully to all of the intricacies of the biodynamic philosophy, but they have adopted some biodynamic techniques such as following a lunar calendar for harvesting and other cellar jobs. All of the estate’s grapes are grown organically and carefully hand harvested.
Château des Rontets Pouilly-Fuissé “Clos Varambon”
The impressive 18th century Rontets château is surrounded by an old vineyard of Chardonnay grapes. This walled vineyard, or “clos,” is the highest elevation vineyard in the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation. This is where the grapes are grown for the Château Rontets “Clos Varambon” Pouilly-Fuissé.
The Clos Varambon possesses a richness that’s not heavy or cloying. Silky-smooth in texture, this is truly an elegant wine. Bright appley fruit makes your mouth water, and a mineral complexity is balanced by a just-right acidity. A slightly salty and peppery finish makes this wine a perfect complement to cheese, white meats or seafood.
Château des Rontets Saint-Amour “Côte de Besset” 2012
On my trip (L-R): Claire and Fabio with Ihsan and Valerie
This rare Saint-Amour is tough for us to get our hands on – but a bit came in just for the holiday season. A lovely, elegant Gamay, this Saint-Amour is made from grapes in a single vineyard just over the border into Beaujolais.
Fresh cherry fruit with a background of earth and mineral finish, this is a perfect food wine for holiday parties.
Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.
