At the far edge of where white Burgundy can be made, a small vineyard planted to Chardonnay is carving its own path in this universe of world-class wine. Here the soils are sandy and rocky, and sit on a bed of schist instead of the famous vein of limestone that runs through the region. It’s not dissimilar to soils in parts of California, and indeed we’ve tasted a few top-tier Chardonnays from the Golden State that compare very favorably. The rub is that they all cost four to five times more than this stunningly deep, delicious gem from the tiny village of Mâcon-Loché. The unique terroir of this micro-parcel of vines combines perfectly with the talents of rising star Olivier Giroux to craft a wine that shows an almost perfect balance of lush, ripe fruit and zippy, laser-like precision. It’s a bottle of 18 karat gold for fools gold pricing, stock up!
The Mâcon is the southernmost sub-region in Burgundy, bordering Beaujolais to the south and the Côte Chalonnaise to the north. A century ago the Chardonnays of this area were as popular as Meursault and Puligny, but post war industrialization made quantity, not quality, the goal. That has changed with new talent being infused here over the past two decades, and the Mâcon is again producing top tier white Burgundy.
One of the very talented, early pioneers that joined in the Mâcon renaissance was Olivier Giroux. He was no newcomer, having grown up in the area, and indeed his family has been involved in the wine industry here for seven generations. But after spending several years at the helm of a winery in Southern France, Olivier returned to the Mâcon and was able to purchase a small, historic estate, formerly known as Domaine Saint-Philibert, in 2002.
Olivier’s first order of business was to convert all the vineyards to organic farming, and in 2014 he received official certification. In the cellar, the work is best described as “clean-natural,” using only indigenous yeasts for fermentation and adding nothing but small amounts of SO2 if needed. The “En Prés Foréts” is aged mostly in steel tanks to maintain a vibrancy of fruit and acidity, but 10% does go into 500-liter barrels for a bit of added texture and depth.
Serve this sunny gem of a wine cool, between 48 and 50 degrees, in a Burgundy stem and you’ll be dazzled by yellow peaches, nectarines, white flowers, lemon zest, key lime, raw almond, and loads of wet rocks and saline minerals. It’s a lovely pairing for a good cheese spread—be sure to include some Époisses, and something Alpine, too—or any fruits de mer, but for a killer appetizer we recommend a creamy cauliflower soup topped with fresh crab.
