There is something fascinating about drinking wine made by a skilled vigneron who has since passed away. Knowing that a wine made with someone’s vision and passion is in diminishing supply and at some point will never be tasted again adds an element to the experience. Didier Dagueneau and Denis Mortet are two who come to mind. The hope is that the winemaker has an equally passionate and eager successor to take the reins of a famed plot of land or established winery and continues to make wine. This isn’t always what happens and isn’t what happened with Domaine J.A. Ferret.

When Colette Ferret’s mother Jeanne died in 1993, she took over J.A. Ferret, a domaine which had been in the Ferret family since 1760. The wines are made from seven esteemed vineyards in Burgundy’s southern Mâconnais region, around the towns of Pouilly and Fuissé. While Pouilly-Fuissé (pwee-fwee-SAY) whites from Chardonnay aren’t as famed as those from Burgundy’s more northerly Côte de Beaune, they can be rewarding value if you know the right producers and Domaine J.A. Ferret fit that bill. Colette passed away in 2007 with no heirs and in 2008 her domaine of 38 acres ended up in the hands of big Burgundian négociant Maison Loius Jadot. I’ve read Jadot has kept the same team at Domaine J.A. Ferret and plans to make as little impact on the wine as possible, yet I can’t help but feel this is a terrible thing.

The Ferret wines from the 2006 vintage and earlier can still be found in the US at very reasonable prices. Terroir in SF has a few different vineyard bottlings from ’04 and ’05 for $30-$35 retail. That’s where I tried the 2004 “Le Clos” in a half bottle. It is magical, expressive wine that sells for less than $30 retail. I haven’t seen these wines in Canada yet, but I also wasn’t looking. Seek out Colette Ferret’s wine before it’s too late.