Trois Dames Pouilly-Fuissé 2022: Complex, Not Fussy

Rosemary is what I remember. Somewhere between the peach and the passion fruit sat a savoury herb, pulling against all that ripeness. That was the first impression of the Domaine des Trois Dames Pouilly-Fuissé 2022, a bottle with a yellow capsule and the winemaker’s signature slanted across the label.

I tasted it in 2024 alongside thirteen others for my Pouilly-Fuissé guide. Two bottles stood above the rest that day, and this was one of them. This review looks at why, and at what has changed on the shelf since.

Tasting Note

Tasting Note

Appearance

Light yellow-gold with a green tint.

Nose

Medium intensity, but layered. Ripe peach and apricot first, then red apple, pineapple and passion fruit, with rosemary as a savoury counterweight. Creamy, buttery notes from the oak, present without taking over. Give it air and you get nutmeg, cinnamon, hazelnut, a yeasty note and a flash of fresh grass.

Palate

Dry, medium-plus and well balanced. The aromas from the nose come back on the palate, and the texture is creamy and fresh at once.

Finish

Long, with white pepper at the very end.

Quality

Complex without making a fuss about it. Pure fruit that speaks of careful work in the vineyard.

A young grower under the Roche

Simon Ravaud founded Domaine des 3 Dames in 2014, from outside any winemaking family. He took over vineyards from two growers who were retiring, in Solutré-Pouilly at the foot of the Roche de Solutré. He trained as an oenologist and handles everything himself, from the vines through to bottling.

According to the domaine, the name is first of all a tribute to three sisters who own the vines he farms. In my guide I wrote “three different ladies”; the estate’s own site says sisters, so that is what I go with here. The three also nods to the first three appellations he worked and to the three rocks around the vineyard. Today Ravaud farms around seven hectares, from Solutré-Pouilly to Pruzilly.

Limestone from the Roche, oak in the background

The Pouilly-Fuissé comes from fifteen parcels in Solutré-Pouilly. The vines average around fifty years old and root into marl over old limestone, the same rock the Roche de Solutré is made of. That fits the freshness running beneath all that ripe fruit.

Ravaud does little to correct things in the cellar. The wine ferments entirely in oak barrels on its native yeasts, roughly a quarter of them new. It then spends eleven months on its lees, the spent yeast that gives a wine texture.

There is no fining and only a very light filtration, so a small deposit is possible. The domaine adds that this makes the wine suitable for vegans.

You can taste that oak in the butter and cream. Even so, fruit and balance lifted this bottle above the rest, with the oak kept in the background. The Lavernette, the other standout, spends a long time in wood too, old casks that let the fruit do the talking.

Price, neighbours and a new vintage

Now the caveats. At €36.95 in 2024, the Trois Dames sat in the middle of my fourteen bottles on price. The Rey at €24.99 held its own against wines at twice the price, so if you simply want a good Pouilly-Fuissé you can keep twelve euros in your pocket. What the extra buys you here is complexity and length.

Second: if you are after taut, mineral Pouilly-Fuissé, this is the wrong bottle. Ripe peach, pineapple and butter pull it towards the richer end of the appellation. For Vergisson steel, look at the Verget instead, though that one still needs time.

Third: the 2022 is no longer available. Karakter wijnimport supplies the trade; the web shop wijnkoperij-europa.nl now lists the 2024 at €37.00 (September 2026).

I have not tasted the 2024. The shop’s description mentions four months in oak, against eleven months on the lees for the 2022 according to the domaine. It may well be a different wine from the one described here.

Food and cellaring

The domaine suggests fish, shellfish, poultry and goat’s cheese. The creamy side of the wine can take more: guinea fowl with herbs, or pan-seared scallops with beurre blanc. That rosemary on the nose makes roast chicken with thyme and lemon an easy match. Serve it at 9 to 11°C.

The domaine gives this Pouilly-Fuissé five years of ageing potential. For the 2022, that means drink it now and do not hang on too long. This is not a wine for a decade in the cellar.

The verdict

The Domaine des Trois Dames Pouilly-Fuissé 2022 is complex without showing the effort. Fruit, herbs, oak and limestone sit in proportion, and the finish goes on. If you still have a bottle, open it this year. If you spot the 2024, taste before you buy a case: the ageing is described differently.

Producer

Domaine des 3 Dames (Simon Ravaud)

Wine

Pouilly-Fuissé

Vintage

2022

Region

Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy

Grape

Chardonnay

Vineyard

Fifteen parcels in Solutré-Pouilly, marl over limestone

Élevage

Fermented in oak (around 25% new), 11 months on lees

Alcohol

13% (domaine figure)

Price

€36.95 (2022); 2024 now €37.00

Importer

Karakter wijnimport

Frequently asked questions

Is the Trois Dames Pouilly-Fuissé oaked?

Yes. It ferments entirely in oak barrels, about a quarter of them new, and spends eleven months on its lees. You notice it as butter and cream, but the fruit stays in front.

Where does the name Trois Dames come from?

According to the domaine, from three sisters who own the vineyards Simon Ravaud farms. The three also refers to the first three appellations and the three rocks around the estate.

How long will the Trois Dames Pouilly-Fuissé 2022 keep?

The domaine says five years. For the 2022, now is the time to drink it.

Sources

• Domaine des 3 Dames, about the estate: domaine-des-3-dames.fr
• Domaine des 3 Dames, Pouilly-Fuissé: domaine-des-3-dames.fr
• Domaine des 3 Dames, our wines: domaine-des-3-dames.fr
• Wijnkoperij Europa, Pouilly Fuissé 2024: wijnkoperij-europa.nl
• Karakter wijnimport, Domaine des Trois Dames: karakterwijnimport.nl

This bottle was sent as a press sample by Karakter wijnimport for my Pouilly-Fuissé guide. No payment was involved and the verdict is independent.