Making Sense of Burgundy – the Mâconnais

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Welcome to Part 4 of Sorting Out Burgundy - the Mâconnais.  This is the southernmost region of Burgundy - it's bordered on the north by the Côte Chalonnaise and extends about twenty-five miles south to Beaujolais.  In fact, the southern tip of the Mâconnais overlaps with the northernmost Beaujolais appellation of Saint-Amour.  (If you want a quick review of Burgundy, check out the Wine Concepts Burgundy primer.)

The Mâconnais contains the largest vineyard area of Burgundy's five regions, and it produces predominantly white wine (80 percent) from the Chardonnay grape.  Unlike the prominent limestone slopes of Burgundy's Côte d'Or, the Mâconnais consists of a series of gently rolling hills that get larger as you move south, where the land rises into the two immense peaks of Vergisson and Solutré  (pictured above is the Rock of Solutré).    Here, the best Mâconnais wines are produced, particularly in Pouilly-Fuisse.

When you're looking for a nice wine for an aperitif or a casual dinner, this is a great place to look.  Unlike the better known and generally more expensive Chardonnays of its neighboring regions to the north, the Mâconnais produces some very good value wines.

The Mâconnais is really pretty straightforward:

  • There are no Grand Cru or Premier Cru vineyards.   The most prestigious wines are the three village appellations discussed below.
  • You'll want to stick with white wines.   They're made from Chardonnay, and you can can find some pretty good wines at a good price.   Unlike the rest of Burgundy, the reds are made from the Gamay grape (the same as used in Beaujolais) - they are light bodied with light tannins, red fruit flavors and good acidity.   They're typically pretty simple wines -  you can do better elsewhere in Burgundy.
  • Focus on these three appellations: 
    • Pouilly-Fuissé.   These classic Burgundy chardonnays are rich and complex, with minerality and nice acid.  These wines pair well with sushi, shrimp and lobster, as well as poultry and veal.  This is the most famous of the Mâconnais appellations, although its name is sometimes confused with the Loire Valley's "Pouilly-Fumé."
    • Saint-Véran.  Located at the southern end of the Mâconnais, this appellation overlaps with Beaujolais.  The wines are not as well known as Pouilly-Fuissé, but can be just as good.  They tend to have a bit more citrus, and go particularly well with seafood, including oily fish, as well as poultry.
    • Viré - Clessé.  This is an often-overlooked appellation that produces some very nice wines.  They are known for being aromatic and fruity, with notes of apple and pear.   These wines go particularly well with veal, but also seafood and poultry.
  • About 80 percent of production is simple and uninteresting "Mâcon," which can be produced from grapes grown anywhere in the region.   A step up in quality is labeled "Mâcon - Villages."  A further step up in quality is labeled "Mâcon" with a village name appended.  However, it's worth a few bucks more to get one of the three appellations listed above.
  • As always in Burgundy, the key is to select a good producer.  Our favorites are:
    • J.A. Ferret.
    • Maison Louis Latour.
    • Domaine Thevenet.

Wine of the Week.  We tasted a 2016 Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuissé (about $19 retail).  This is a very nice wine.  It has aromas of white fruit, and on the palate was medium bodied, with nice minerality and notes of pear, apple and citrus.  This would pair great with shellfish, seafood and charcuterie.  Overall, this wine is a great value.

  • Some other Mâconnais white wines that we've had in the past and really liked include: Thevenet et Fils Viré-Clessé and Christophe Cordier Vieilles Vignes Viré-Clessé (this may be hard to find).

Cheers!