MAKE WAY 4 THE MÂCCONAIS 💁

Hey, Fionn this Thursday.

Hopefully, by the time this lands in your inbox, I will have landed in France for my first holiday in what feels like forever. A flight cheaper than most wines I drink at a mere £15 was too good to refuse. Sadly, I’ll be touching down in Bordeaux rather than Burgundy but I guess you can’t have it all… 

Speaking of holidays, if u want to get your booze in time for the bank holiday, you’ve got until 2.30pm today to sort it. Any orders placed after that will be landing on your doorsteps next Wednesday. Don’t sleep on it, four hours n counting…

Moving on! I’ve had my Burgundy fix this week courtesy of a certain Jessica Litaud. She is the latest newcomer in the Mâconnais, and she is someone you MUST pay attention to. Time spent at both Ganevat and Jean-Marie Guffens is painfully evident. The wines will have your palate darting from the Jura to Burgundy. Pitch-perfect expressions of Chardonnay from meticulously farmed vines. She reduced the amount of land she works, so she can work alone. Dedication and quality over quantity is what we like to see. This detailed focus is mirrored in the cellar. Working across a plethora of different terroirs, each cuvee is utterly unique but with the overarching purity that has become her calling card.

Honestly, some of the best wines I drank last year, these new 2022 are no different. These are a rarity in that they are both thrilling whilst young, but also are capable of going the distance. On to the wine.

The La Roche is a nice place to start. Once, you’ve tasted this you can only imagine how good the rest of the range is. Macon-Solutre-Pouilly is a further step up. Here, you can really feel the Jurassic influence of a certain Mr Ganevat. The Saint Veran bottling will also get you nicely acquainted with the house style. Taught, and chiseled.

A little bit of gear from Pouilly-Fuissé is where things get silly silly good. The top appellation in the Mâconnais. I only know this because I did a stupid WSET. Thanks to the altitude, exposition, and soil these wines are some of the freshest you’ll find this far south. THIS fragrant bottle is a case in point. La Marechaude recently got that 1er status. About time. The new 2022 is in great shape now but certainly destined for the ages. If you can’t wait and want to taste things with a bit of age we somehow have a couple of the 2020’s left. Both THIS and THIS are entering the sweet spot. Yes, these aren’t cheap. But when is Burgundy this good ever cheap? Never. I have a feeling these will be going for silly $$$ in a few years. Get in early.

Ok, Ok, I do have a flight to catch but I just gotta mention the return of Benoît Courault. These are personal favorites. I like to drink these pretty much yearly. Always reliable, always delicious. Again, he cut his teeth with legends. Most notably, Pifferling of L’anglore… Need I say more?  A super-expressive Chenin here. Almond, wet wool, orchard fruit. Plenty of oomph but also plenty of acid. More of the same from Gibourg. Again, a dry expression that manages to capture the full Chenin spectrum. Fleshy yet fresh, this man can do no wrong even in a hot vintage.

Finally, a chill-able red that is more than your average glou-glou. Grolleau, a somewhat niche variety that when handled well makes subtly spiced wines. Lighter, but lacking nothing in terms of complexity. Go off.

PEACE + LOVE
Fionn
XOXO