France | The Mâconnais

Vineyards in the Mâconnais Region of Burgundy

Situated halfway between Lyon and Beaune, the vineyards of the Mâconnais adjoin those of the Côte Chalonnaise to the north and overlap those of Beaujolais to the south.

The region produces three times more white wine than the rest of Burgundy put together and while the quality never quite reaches the echelons achieved in the Côte d’Or, the best producers are capable of producing some of the world’s great-value pure Chardonnay wines.

Pouilly-Fuisse is the most distinctive pure Chardonnay wine of the Mâconnais (not to be confused with Pouilly-Fumé, the Sauvignon Blanc wine from the Loire), being produced from amphitheatre-like slopes which act as natural sun traps. The wines are amongst the richest in Burgundy, achieving up to 13.5% alcohol-by-volume and of all the Mâconnais wines produced it is these that benefit most from barrel-ageing.