Wine of the Week: Michel Redde Pouilly Fume 'Petit F' 2022

This week's WOTW, Michel Redde Pouilly Fume 'Petit F' 2022, is a new arrival at TRW. With pricing of Sancerre reaching new heights and quantities at their lowest in years, it made sense for us to look at neighboring towns for relative bargains and top-notch quality.

Usually this requires a trip and some market research, but being pressed for time, it was easier for us to speak with our current Loire Valley producers who we deeply respect. Matthieu Delaporte from Domaine Delaporte quickly put us in touch with Redde family and the wines were here in perfect time for summer.

Michel Redde et Fils winery, situated in the heart of the Pouilly-sur-Loire commune, is a family-run enterprise with a long history and a dedication to producing quality Pouilly-Fumé wines. This venerable estate traces its wine-growing roots back to 1630, and it has been helmed by six successive generations of the Redde family.

Today, the estate covers approximately 42 hectares of vineyards and is currently run by Thierry Redde and his sons, who have managed to bring modernity and innovation to their winemaking while retaining traditional methods and respect for the terroir. They strive to express the unique characteristics of each vineyard plot through their wines.

Their Pouilly-Fumé wines are predominantly made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety. The vineyards' soils are rich with limestone, marl, and flint (also known as 'silex'), giving the wines their distinct mineral qualities.

The Michel Redde et Fils' Pouilly-Fumé wines are known for their elegance and complexity. On the nose, they typically exhibit fresh citrus and floral notes alongside the trademark 'smoky' or 'flinty' aromas that are characteristic of Pouilly-Fumé. On the palate, these wines are crisp, with pronounced mineral and fruity flavors. As they age, the wines gain in complexity, offering more nuanced and refined flavor profiles.

The winery produces several different Pouilly-Fumé wines, each of which reflects the specific terroir of the vineyard plot from which the grapes are sourced. Some of their notable wines include:

1. La Moynerie: This wine, named after the estate itself, represents a blend from several vineyard plots. It offers a harmonious balance of fruitiness and minerality.

2. Les Tuilières: This single-vineyard wine is known for its intense mineral flavors, attributed to the Kimmeridgian marl in the soil.

3. Majorum: This is a specially made wine, aged on its lees for 24 months, only produced in the best years. It shows the incredible potential of Pouilly-Fumé for producing age-worthy wines with immense depth and complexity.

The Michel Redde et Fils winery is a shining example of the union of tradition, innovation, and passion in winemaking, making it an influential name in the world of Pouilly-Fumé wines.

If you would like to shop the Redde Wines check them out here:

https://www.tworockwines.com/search/Redde/