Appellation Guide: Macon Villages AOC (Burgundy, France)

Wines from Macon Villages are hard not to like. They are known throughout the world for their balance and harmony and although they may have dipped out of fashion in recent years, they remain some of the most enjoyable and food friendly white wines around. Produced with 100% Chardonnay, the exact style differs from village to village, but the best wines offer aromas of broom, white roses, acacia, honeysuckle, fern, lemon-grass, and citrus fruits (grapefruit, lemon), while the palate can offer complex nuances of pine, quince and fennel.

Chardonnays made for earlier drinking are made from fruit grown in the sandier, clay soils that often have lots of flint and pebbles.

The town of Macon, like many others in Burgundy, has grown through the ages off the back of the winemaking industry. It wasn't until 1937 that Macon was officially given its AOC status.

There are 26 villages that can attach their name to the Macon Village AOC. Around 90% of this production is white wine.

Azé:

Bray:

Burgy:

Bussières,

Chaintré:

Chardonnay,

Charnay-lès-Mâcon,

Cruzille,

Davayé,

Fuissé,

Igé,

Loché,

Lugny,

Mancey,

Milly-Lamartine,

Montbellet,

Péronne,

Pierreclos,

Prissé,

La Roche-Vineuse,

Saint-Gengoux-le-National,

Solutré-Pouilly,

Uchizy,

Vergisson:

Verzé: Verzé is particularly interesting. Slopes facing both east and west offer two different micro climates, and ultimately two different styles of wine. The eastern slopes boast lots of minerality in the wines. There is limestone and chalk which contributes a purity and acidity to the wines that is rarely matched in other villages. This extends the maturation time to up to five, possibly even seven years. The village's western slopes receive the afternoon sunshine and when vinified seperately, these wines are slightly fuller and rounder.

Vinzelles: Located just south of the Saone, Vinzelles shares a steep hillside with Chaintré.

In addition to the individual villages, there are a number of individual vineyards sites known as 'lie dits' that are primed for Premier Cru status should this ever materialise at a regional level. I have listed these here.

  • Bossu
  • En Beaux
  • Le Château de Chaintré
  • Le Clos (Domaine des Gerbeaux)
  • Le Moulin à l'Or
  • Le Poisard
  • Les Barbiers
  • Les Buissonats
  • Les Champs Bardes
  • Les Champs Cheaters
  • Les Jonchayes
  • Les Landes
  • Les Pérelles
  • Les Perrières
  • Les Prés de Savy
  • Les Serreuxdières
  • Les Terres de Savy
  • Les Terres Pelletier

Recommended producers: Domaine de l'Echelette | Domaine Perraud | Nicolas Maillet |