Chateau des Rontets

The family-run Château des Rontets sits atop a hill overlooking the town of Fuissé, and from old vines, they make single-parcel Pouilly-Fuissé cuvées defined by minerality and aromatic complexity. The Rontets estate was established in 1819 by an abbot named Claude Nonain, but it didn’t take long for the hilltop vineyard to change hands. François Varambon purchased it in 1850, and the Gazeau-Varambon family has tended the 6.5-hectare property ever since. Passed down for generations, it’s been under the meticulous care of François’ great-granddaughter Claire Gazeau, and her husband Fabio Montrasi, since 1995. Nearly all the estate’s vines surround the Château in a clos, and the oldest were planted in 1910. Rooted in well-draining soils at 350 meters in elevation, the north- and south-facing vineyards get excellent sun exposure and experience large diurnal temperature swings. Outside of their clos, Rontets owns a half-hectare in the Pierrefolle climat and another half-hectare in Côte de Besset in the commune of Saint-Amour, where they harvest their Gamay. Claire Gazeau spent her childhood summers working these very vines, and when she took over the property, she began implementing organic and biodynamic farming practices. The team avoids chemicals and machine intervention, even plowing the land with horses, and they’ve been certified organic since 2005. They take a minimal intervention philosophy in the cellar as well, defined by long native-yeast fermentations that develop nuanced aromas, and lees aging for exceptional texture. The result is singular Chardonnays and Gamays.