Christophe Cordier had just bottled the sumptuous 2003 Pouilly-Fuisse Juliette La Grande when I visited the estate in mid-April, 2006. Boasting 15.6% alcohol (completely unnoticeable) and 4.5 grams of residual sugar, this decadent delight reveals a nose reminiscent of the aromas found in a Middle East nation’s spice market. On the palate, this lush offering displays superb breadth, wonderful intensity, and massive concentration. Its oily-textured flavor profile, best described as buttered ginger cookies immersed in spices, lingers over 30 seconds in the finish... Wow! Drink this gem over the next 10 years.“This was a difficult vintage, no doubt,” said Christophe Cordier, “We never stopped working for an instant.” He went on to add that even though the July 20 hail storm devastated some of his best parcels (there is no Pouilly-Fuisse Metertiere in 2004, for example), “We were still luckier than our friends in the Cote de Beaune because here in the south we actually got some sun and warmth at times.” Cordier did two harvests in his Pouilly-Fuisse vineyards, declassifying the first fruit that was picked to make a Macon-Fuisse and only using the results of his second, later harvests for his Pouilly-Fuisses. In addition, Cordier sorted through all the clusters, throwing out all the ones damaged by hail or oidium.(Not yet released)Various American importers including Weygandt-Metzler, Peter Weygandt, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800