Mâcon-Chaintré Vieilles Vignes 18/22/23 Maison Valette | Burgundy

Maison Valette 's Mâcon-Chaintré Vieilles Vignes is a cuvée as rare as it is exceptional. Produced from the oldest Chardonnay plots on the wine estate, and in the Mâcon-Chaintré appellation as a whole, the vines thrive on a soil composed mainly of limestone on a clay-limestone subsoil, giving this cuvée a profile that is both precise and mineral. Philippe and Cécile Valette harvest their grapes by successive hand-harvesting to ensure that each bunch is picked at the right stage of ripeness. After natural fermentation and a 12-month ageing period in oak barrels, successive vintages undergo a further resting period in stainless steel tanks before being carefully blended for bottling. This blend of the 2018, 2022 and 2023 vintages takes on its full meaning when tasting the wine, which reveals a richness and tension exemplary in Burgundy, in a style unique to Domaine Valette.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : This Mâcon Chaintré Vieilles Vignes demonstrates the fascinating savoir-faire of Philippe and Cécile Valette. Like other vintage blends from the Valette wine estate, this one reveals a natural power and generous character that place it among the great gastronomic whites of the Mâcon Chaintré appellation and Burgundy.

On the nose, the wine reveals an elegant mineral profile, with hints of gunflint, toast and roasted hazelnuts. Once properly oxygenated, it opens with citrus notes of clementine and citron, and a hint of acacia honey.

On the palate, the attack is chiselled, carried by a salivating minerality that stretches the material with finesse. Aromatic intensity remains strong, with lemony aromas, lightly smoky mineral touches and salivating mineral freshness. Unquestionably one of the great wines of the Mâconnais!