Description
Eric Forest, Pouilly-Fuissé “L’Âme Forest”
You’re free to disregard Eric Forest because he’s down in the “lesser” Mâconnais, but you should know that also means voluntarily walking away from the Burgundy surprise/sensation of the year. This never-before-featured producer cut his teeth with living cult legend Jean-Marie Guffens, and his 2020 Pouilly-Fuissés would undoubtedly shake the boots of any Chassagne or Puligny Premier Cru.
I was actually alerted when Forest’s new releases first arrived in America. A dear friend sent me a picture of three cuvées with a text that read “get whatever you can.” When I messaged back to set up a tasting the following week, his response made me sit up straight: “Will be too late.” So, the very next morning, before breakfast, he drove out to my place and let the wines do all the talking. Talk they did: These are unapologetically rich, tension-loaded Burgundies that have more depth, texture, and complexity than an embarrassing number of Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachets. And yet, even with the expedited tasting, I was still only quick enough to secure two of the three bottlings. Eric’s mind-blowing “village” cuvée, “L’ me Forest,” is the first on offer today. His even-more-limited Premier Cru will hit your inbox this afternoon. Buy these wines immediately—they are truly the real deal, and people are clamoring for them!
One of the first things I ever read about Eric Forest is that he was one of the top names in Vergisson, the most elite winemaking commune in the entire Mâconnais. After tasting a horizontal of his 2020s, I’d like to broaden that to also include the Côte de Beaune. Backed by eight generations of viticultural know-how and an invaluable education from local “Mad Belgian” legend Jean-Marie Guffens, Eric is quietly crafting some of Burgundy’s most powerful, rich, terroir-packed Chardonnays.
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Eric’s modest seven-hectare estate is located in the aforementioned powerhouse village of Vergisson and many of his vines are family heirlooms, aged between 40-90 years. Understanding that he’s equipped with some of the region’s finest raw material, he farms his parcels with organic and biodynamic principles. “L’ me Forest” which translates to “the soul of Forest,” is a blend of four cooler plots around the iconic Roche de Vergisson that are farmed and harvested entirely by hand. In the cellar, the grapes ferment in new and used French oak and age 15 months on lees. An unfined and unfiltered bottling occurs via gravity—no pumps!
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Even if you forgo a decant (I recommend 30 minutes), this springs out of a Burgundy stem with lush aromas of yellow peach, quince, baked yellow apple, lime blossom, stirred lees, buttered toast, crushed white rock, baking spice, vanilla bean, and salt-preserved lemon. The palate is medium-bodied and opulent while delivering the sort of tension and mineral precision that one routinely associates with Puligny-Montrachet. This is grade-A white Burgundy, without question!+ Enjoy now and over the next five years.
