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2023 Mâcon-Villages
Henri Perrusset
As often as we wax lyrical about the bracing, mineral, and briney Chardonnays of cool-climate Chablis, what about those from Burgundy’s southern realm, the Mâconnais? Like Chablis, this corner of the region is also devoted to Chardonnay above all else, but it shines a light on a different side of the grape, unique in Burgundy for its generosity and lusciousness. The extroverted blancs of the Mâconnais mirror the exuberance of charming reds from neighboring Beaujolais, and in fact it was in Beaujolais that Kermit first met Henri, as he wrote in 1990:
A few years ago I was having lunch alone near Fleurie in one of those working man’s bench-and-long-table type restaurants. I struck up a conversation with the young man seated across from me. He was from the Mâconnais and, it turned out, awaiting his first grape harvest. Previously his father sold the crop to the local cave cooperative, but Henri, the son, was going to vinify and bottle it himself. I jotted down his address and visited him the following year to taste and consequently buy his wine.
Henri Perrusset handed the reigns of his domaine to the young and talented Nicolas Roux in 2021, but this scene still captures the domaine’s Mâcon-Villages perfectly. As approachable, convivial, unpretentious as the Fleurie restaurant, this is Chardonnay at its most easy-going and crowd-pleasing. Ripe orchard fruit and citrus abound in your glass, but there’s still a light mineral spine and refreshing acidity that balance things out. Serve it at your next clam bake, crab boil, or the next time you find yourself seated on a bench at a long table with people you may or may not know. Everyone will love the Mâcon-Villages.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Mâcon-Villages |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Henri Perrusset |
Winemaker: | Nicolas Roux |
Vineyard: | 15-30 years, 6.5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14% |
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About The Producer
Henri Perrusset
About The Region
Burgundy
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236