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Bret Brothers

The last visit during my tour of the Maconnais turned up an impressive set of wines. Jean-Philippe and Jean-Guillaume Bret, who grew up in Paris, used to spend their summer holidays on their grandfather's estate in Vinzelles. Years later, they went to wine school, did several stages at notable domains around France, and then took over the domaine in 1998. Until 1998, all the fruit here went to the local co-op; subsequently Verget purchased some grapes in 1999 and 2000. But the Bret brothers have done all the work in the vines since 2000. There's no obvious division of labor at the estate:they share the work in the vines, vinify together, even finish each other's sentences. La Soufrandiere comprises 4. 5 hectares in Pouilly-Vinzelles, 4 in Les Quarts, just outside the Pouilly-Fuisse appellation, and 0. 5 in Les Longeays, on the Chaintre side of Vinzelles. In 2001, the brothers launched a small negociant operation, working exclusively with old vines. These latter bottlings, carrying the Bret Brothers label, resemble the domain wines in style. It's a style of chardonnay I particularly like:tactile and rich, but also minerally and vibrant. (A Becky Wasserman Selection; importers include D. Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; Wines Unlimited, New Orleans, LA; and Estate Wines Ltd. , San Rafael, CA)

From Focus on the Maconnais (Jan 2004) by Stephen Tanzer

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2001 Pouilly-Vinzelles Climat Les Quarts

Release Price: $27

Color: White

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