Mâcon

Wine
Characteristics

The Mâconnais white wines are the colour of white or yellow gold or strawcoloured with gently glowing silvery or greenish highlights. To the nose, their aromas suggest broom, white roses, acacia, honeysuckle, fern, verbena, lemon-grass, and citrus fruits (grapefruit, mandarin oranges). In the mouth, the finish adds nuances of pine, quince and fennel. The impression on the palate varies according to each village and each terroir of origin. These wines are fresh and luscious as well as dry and well-fruited. They have good concentration backed by sufficient acidity to ensure their keeping qualities.
They are full and smooth in character.

In colour the Mâconnais reds range from cherry to dark ruby via deep garnet. The purplish highlights are typical of the Gamay grape. Aromatically, they develop accents of small red and black fruits (gooseberry, bilberry) blended with notes of underbrush, mushroom, fruit-pit and animal. As they age, they evolve towards prune and pepper. They are rich, vital, hearty, fleshy, pontaneous, joyous, and easy to like. While still young they may be a little stiff but they will soften and become suppler with time. Both the wines structure and texture are excellent.

Wine
Steward’s Tip

Whites : their cheeky charm and lively approach make them perfect as a pre-dinner drink served with salty finger foods such as chips, crackers, peanuts and olives. Their perfect all-round balance of vivacity, fullness, and smoothness plus aromatic complexity makes them easy to match with food. Poultry or veal in cream sauce does them justice in the winter, as does creamy risotto with meat, poultry, or fish. In the summer, they do justice to grilled fish, cold antipasto, ratatouille, or mixed salads with onions. They are even capable of taking sushi and goat’s cheese under their wing.
Serving temperature: 10 to 11°C as a pre-dinner drink,11 to 12°C with food.

Reds: perfumed, meaty and full of life, they go marvelously well with fine charcuterie (hams, terrines, and pâtés) whose meaty and mouth-filling texture is offset by their vivacity. The same is true when they are matched with more fibrous and subtle meats such as rabbit, and boiled or braised beef. They are also perfect with burgers and tapas, which draw on their lively and appealing qualities. Mâcon wines go well with mixed summer salads, thanks to their aromatic power and their cheery character.
Serving temperature: 14 to 15°C.

Rosés: lively and eminently drinkable, they take their place alongside cold cuts, couscous, tajines, tabouleh, cheese-topped vegetables, omelettes, onion tarts, burgers and pizzas.
Serving temperature: 11 to 12°C.

 

Situation

White wine : In this part of southern Bourgogne, the vines occupy a landscape of little hills and valleys that look as though they have been painted with a water-colorist’s brush. The hills of the Mâconnais extend over some 40 km from the Côte Chalonnaise to the Rock of Solutré and are bordered on one side by the river Saône and the Grosne on the other. Vines were first planted here in Gallo-Roman times and were fostered in the Middle Ages by the powerful abbeys of Tournus and Cluny. This charming landscape was celebrated by the poet Lamartine, one of its native sons. The town of Mâcon today maintains close connections with these serene and smiling vineyards. AOC Mâcon dates from 1937. White wines (Chardonnay) grown in the arrondissement of Mâcon and 11 neighboring communes are entitled to the appellations MÂCON, MÂCON VILLAGES, or MÂCON plus the name of the village.

Red wine :The Mâconnais is the soul of southern Bourgogne, celebrated by its native son, the poet Lamartine. It extends over some 40 km of the Côte Chalonnaise as far as the Rock of Solutré. Lying between the rivers Saône and Grosne, its valleys and hillsides seem to make the vines welcome. Indeed, vines have been grown here since Gallo-Roman times and their cultivation received a boost from the powerful Abbeys of Cluny and Tournus. The town of Mâcon has strong links with the wine industry. The surrounding villages have a smiling and good-natured appearance, reminiscent of water-colour paintings, with their galleried houses and Romanesque church towers. The wines of the MÂCON appellation (which dates from 1937), whether red or rosé and whether made from Pinot Noir or Gamay noir à jus blanc grape are restricted to the arrondissement of Mâcon and 11 neighbouring communes. They may also (both reds and rosés) label themselves with the name Mâcon plus the name of their commune of origin.

Terroirs

White wine : Separated by a series of parallel faults, the hills of the Mâconnais are linked along axes which give them either a north/north-westerly or a south/southeasterly exposure. The vines take readily to these hillsides. Limey or calcic brown rendzinas suit the long-keeping Chardonnay. Elsewhere, flinty sands and clays often mixed with calcium rich rocks or sandstone pebbles favor the ready to drink Chardonnay.

Red wine : Separated by a serie of parallel faults, the hills of the Mâconnais are linked along axes which give them either a North/North-westerly or a South/South-easterly exposure. The vines readily take to these hillsides. Limey or calcic brown rendzinas suit the Pinot Noir grape and long-keeping Chardonnays. Elsewhere, flinty sands and clays, often mixed with “chailles” or sandstone pebbles favour the earlier-drunk Chardonnay or (in reds) the Gamay, which is equally at home on granitic soils which point up the nearby presence of the Beaujolais.

The Mâcon plus appellation seen by Charles Lamboley

An overview of Mâcon plus a geographical denomination appellation

Geographical denomination: The first step towards the notion of terroir – Focus Mâcon