This section covers producers not based in any of the three other sections. Some are very much focussed on one particular appellation, others, whether domaines or negociants, may offer a wider range of Mâconnais appellations. In fact, only the Bret Brothers and newcomer Simon Faure are negociants.

I do wish that wines labelled as Mâcon whether with or without a village name (and almost all of them in this report do have a village name, rather than being straight Mâcon or Mâcon-Villages) got more attention, which they very much merit. When you taste a Mâcon-Cruzille from either of the Guillot cousins, or Mâcon-La Roche Vineuse Les Cras from Olivier Merlin, or the Clos de Four from the Héritiers Lafon or the Clos St-Pancras from Frantz Chagnoleau – these are clearly wines of beauty, texture and an overall quality – yet they count as regional Bourgognes in the official hierarchy. Ridiculous!

It also saddens me somewhat that a top class wine list from a famous restaurant might have 5 or 10 or 20 listings for Chablis – and just one or two starting with the word Mâcon. The only upside, I suppose, is that we can enjoy most of these wines at very fair prices.

Producers

• Bret Brothers
• Clos Sauvage
• Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau
• Domaine Guillot-Broux
• Domaine Nicolas Maillet
• Domaine Thevenard
• Domaine de la Garenne
• Domaine de la Rochette
• Julien Guillot, les Vignes du Maynes
• Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon
• Louis Dorry
• Olivier Merlin
• Simon Faure

It took me quite a while properly to understand what this appellation is all about. I did not really ‘get’ it, for example, if I was tasting one Viré-Clessé within a line-up of a producer’s range from across the Mâconnais. An extended visit to the main producers in the appellation for the 2^nd Edition of my Inside Burgundy book soon changed my understanding. These are special terroirs, even if those of Viré and Clessé, and especially Quintaine within the latter commune, do vary, with the richest wines likely to come from Quintaine.

You can make the wines in a variety of styles, all of which work (though you, the consumer, will doubtless have your preference). Some like to pick relatively early, thus reinforcing the mineral style of their wines, safe in the knowledge that the fruit ripens without difficulty. Others will pick later to enhance the generosity of their wines, safe in the knowledge that the underlying minerlaity will provide a fine counter-balance. A few will look, when conditions allow, to retain a little residual sugar and in some years, some high class botrytis. The notes on each domaine should uindicate their choice of style.

I discussed with a couple of producers the possibility of 1ers crus in Viré-Clessé and there is some interest but these are early days. The appellation is relatively recent and traditionally not very many producers have made single vineyard bottlings – though that is changing now, at least for some. Interestingly, in the 19^th century, the concept of Viré 1er Cru existed, uniquely for Viré and for no other village in the whole of Burgundy.

Producers

• Domaine André Bonhomme
• Domaine Gondard-Perrin
• Domaine Guillemot-Michel
• Domaine Michel
• Domaine des Gandines
• Domaine des Tourterelles
• Domaines Thevenet
• Jean-Marie Chaland

These two small appellations should not be considered as the por relations of Pouilly-Fuissé. Anybody who as tasted Les quarts from La Soufrandiere, or Olivier Giroux’s Clos des Rocs will certainly understand what I mean. Both of these wines should soon be classified as 1er Cru.

The last conversations I had suggest that there will be three 1ers Crus in Pouilly-Vinzelles, Les Quarts, Les Longeays and Les Pétaux, the latter bordering Pouilly-Loché’s sole candidate, Les Mures, which includes Clos des Rocs, perhaps as soon as next year. I also understand that herbicides and machine harvesting will be forbidden as part of the rules, as well as lower yields. I am not familiar with Les Pétaux, but the others clearly merit a 1er Cru classification.

A further initiative being discussed is to allow more cépages accessoires, or minority grapes, in these appellations. At the moment, almost all red appellations allow for the inclusion of up to 15% of various white grapes to be included in the blend, but white wines tend to be restricted to chardonnay with an admixture of pinot blanc and/or pinot gris (beurot). There is a proposal now to include aligoté, melon de Bourgogne and maybe sacy in the minority mixture. Rewriting the rules for Pouilly-Vinzelles and Pouilly-Loché to include the 1ers crus ,might be the moment to initiate this proposal.

Producers

• Domaine de la Soufrandière
• Olivier Giroux, Clos des Rocs

The 1er Cru classification, which took so long to establish, now seems as though it has ben in place for much longer than is really the case, with 2020 being the first vintage to which the 1er Cru label could (retrospectively) be applied. The authorities did a pretty good job, though there will always be details with which one might not agree, or boundaries that could have been drawn fractionally differently. Some of the best terroirs of Vergisson did not make the cut for reasons of being north-facing (Courtelongs, En Buland) or above 400m altitude (the upper part of Sur las Roche). Vignerons have had to change a few labels as well, as parts of a vineyard which were not classified have had to change their names to avoid confusion with other parts which did make the cut.

Still, the whole project has brought welcome attention to Pouilly-Fuissé, and has focussed the minds of many producers in to how they can make the best out of the potential of their often very different terroirs. Pleased though I am to be reporting on 16 producers here, three quarters of them after visits to the property, I am also rather ashamed that the number is not much higher. There are some truly exciting wines being made in this part of the world.

Producers

• Christophe Cordier
• Château de Beauregard
• Château de Fuissé
• Château des Quarts
• Château du Clos
• Domaine Barraud
• Domaine Carrette
• Domaine Cheveau
• Domaine J-A Ferret
• Domaine Jacques Saumaize
• Domaine Roc de Boutires
• Domaine Saumaize-Michelin
• Domaine Thibert Père & Fils
• Dominique Cornin
• Jessica Litaud
• Sophie Cinier