Wine: For France's famous Pouilly Fuisse, an up cycle

Pouilly Fuisse, the famous chardonnay from the area surrounding the villages of Pouilly and Fuisse in Burgundy, France, has for 40 years been a wine of cycles, and the good news is that it appears now to be on an upswing.

In the 1970s, many experts found Pouilly Fuisse to be wildly overpriced for a fairly ordinary wine. In the 1980s, the wines improved and became extremely popular in the United States. In the 1990s, many French wine makers tried to cash in on that popularity, producing tart, thin wines with high sulfur at ridiculous prices. They threatened to kill the Golden Goose.

In the 21st century, the good news is that the quality of Pouilly Fuisse seems to be reasserting itself with rich, textured wines. Some are more minerally with little oak while others use barrel aging with nice finesse. The bad news is that most prices remain relatively high, though not ridiculous.

My wine-tasting group recently compared four Pouilly Fuisse wines that appealed to us in distinct ways.

?2007 Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse, $24.99.

The Jadot had the softest aromatics in the tasting, with scents of melon, dill, toasted marshmallows and floral hints. It had tastes of lemon peel or rind (not juice), with chalky, mineral notes. This widely distributed brand was easily voted our top choice.

?2007 Georges Duboeuf Pouilly Fuisse, $24.99.

This wine had a bouquet of vanilla, spice, pears, chalk, yellow apples, cinnamon and dried apricots. It had flavors of apples, pear skins, tangerine peel, apricots and wet stone. This dry, crisp wine is also widely available.

?2006 J.J. Vincent Marie Antoinette Chardonnay, $24.99.

The Vincent had a flinty nose with scents of red apples, cooked apples, cinnamon and lemon. Tastes included mainly red apples, along with alcohol that made the finish warm and quick. This was the richest, most viscous in the tasting.

?2007 Maison Joseph Drouhin Pouilly Fuisse, $31.99.

The aroma suggested butterscotch, lemon, lime, fresh grass and a hint of pepper. The palate showed flavors of lemon and lime peel, with a bit of waxiness. The wine was well-balanced and coated the tongue.

SURFING THE WINE SHELVES:

?2006 Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay, $33.

A creamy nose with scents of peaches, apricot, lemon, vanilla and cedar. The lemon-lime acidity in the mouth was well-balanced with the fruit, minerality and floral notes. Rich and round, this New Zealand chardonnay was well worth its hefty price.

?2005 Broquel Malbec, $14.99.

This popular Argentinean malbec delivered blackberry and smoke aromas and jammy blackberry and chocolate flavors. Try with grilled meats or barbecue.

?2006 Folonari Riesling IGT, $11.99.

From the Veneto region in Italy, this riesling smelled like a bouquet of sweetly perfumed flowers with a touch of Meyer lemon and white peach. It tasted mostly of white peaches and other fresh fruits. It had a short finish.

?2005 Clos Pegase Mitsuko's Vineyard Merlot, $27.

We discovered scents and flavors of blackberries, black currants, cherries, black licorice, cocoa and oak in this Napa Valley wine. The fruit tasted ripe and juicy, with a long finish for a merlot.

?2005 Kenwood White Table Wine, $9.

From Sonoma Valley, this wine sent aromas of pineapple, mango and lemon zest to the nose. Fresh pineapple and lemon flavors with lemon zest on the end followed through in the mouth of this medium bodied, well-balanced wine.

?NV Hill of Content Sparkling Red, $18.

Made mostly from shiraz, this Australian red sparkler had scents of fresh red raspberries followed by green herbs. On the tongue, sparkling bubbles yielded lush flavors of raspberry jam with a suggestion of roses on the end. Serve chilled.