Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly

The vineyards of Bourgogne produce some great wines with a historical and international reputation. However, the region is not simply limited to its iconic appellations. In addition to its Village Premier Cru and Grand Cru AOCs, it also produces a range of wonderful Régionale and Village appellations to explore.

You will also find a full list of the Bourgogne’s Climats and lieux-dits on this page.

Check out the complete list of the 84 Bourgogne appellations.

However, your exploration has only just begun. Bourgogne wines have never before offered such high quality. Besides our range of internationally celebrated wines, try some of our lesser-known appellations where there are lots of surprises in store.

And for a fun way to find out more about the wines on offer, try out our “Which Bourgogne wine is right for me?” quiz, or check out Bourgogne Maps to take an interactive tour of the region.

Category
Regional Appellation
Wine-producing region
VIGNOBLE DU MÂCONNAIS
Creation of the appellation
31 juillet 1937
Colour
Whites - Chardonnay.

Area under vine: 36.56 ha
Annual harvest: 252,639 bottles
Source: 5-year average, 2017-2021
An additional geographical denomination that is part of the Régionale Mâcon appellation in the Mâconnais. According to the 2005 specifications rules, the name Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly refers to white wines grown within a defined area in the village of Solutré-Pouilly.

Wine
Characteristics

Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly wines are yellow gold with a color that is often more intense than that of their more northerly neighbors. On the nose, they initially offer generous and sweet notes of candied fruits and citrussy flavors of lemon and grapefruit, but without exuberance. Then this gives way to tones suggesting quince jelly and fresh mirabelle plums. The maturity one can detect is combined with an aromatic freshness and indulgence in the mouth. The wines are structured, but nonetheless lively on the finish.

Wine
Steward’s Tip

For a perfect flavor combination given the liveliness of this wine on the tongue, opt for an appetizer like a creamy leek tart or risotto verrine. Then allow its acidulated structure to cut through the parsley butter of razor fish à la plancha, gratinated oysters, or snails cooked in garlic butter.

Serving temperatures: 10-11°C as an aperitif, 11-12°C with food.

Situation

Produced on the terroir of Solutré-Pouilly, the emblematic village of the southern Mâconnais, the Mâcon-Solutré-Pouilly AOC is, along with Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran, one of three appellations found on this formerly renowned winegrowing territory.

For millennia, the rocky outcrop of Solutré has fascinated people. Initially perceived as a natural curiosity and then as an obvious defensive promontory, this is a key site, in geological, archeological, and enological terms.

Terroirs

At the southern tip of the Mâconnais, the winegrowing slopes are open to the warm winds. However, its location to the side of the Pouilly-Fuissé “peninsular”, slightly lessens this southerly influence.

The vines in the area of La Levée face due south and grow on a bench formation made up of moderately deep soils with few pebbles and lots of marl and thus clay. This Lias formation dates back 180 million years. As one draws closer to Mont de Pouilly, the east-northeasterly-facing vines grow on yellow marl-limestone soils that are rich in fossils and date back to the Middle Jurassic, some 170 million years ago.