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The Viré-Clessé comes from seven separate east-facing hillside Chardonnay vineyards, each planted more than fifty years ago, located above the villages of Viré and Clessé in the Mâconnais. The farming is entirely organic, and the grapes are hand-harvested. After cool fermentation (20% in neutral barrels) the wine matures for a full twelve months on the lees, and is bottled six months after racking. Remember that this limpid, pure yellow-golden wine is fine Burgundy, so use a large well-shaped glass and don’t overfill it. And pay special attention to the wine in the first minute or two: this is another textbook example of a fine wine that evolves in the glass after it’s poured. The classic Mâconnais nose unfurls with aromas of sun-warmed Honeycrisp apples, yellow nectarines, and lemon verbena, along with crystallized honeycomb, toasted hazelnuts, freshly grated nutmeg, and Devon cream. On the palate, the wine is generous and mouth-filling, with creamy, limestone-infused Chardonnay flavors that echo the nose, including spiced pears, fennel seed, and lemon spritzed apples, all threaded by quince and Forelle pear acids. Drink now for its luscious, persistent primary fruit, or lay away in your own cool dark cellar for five years or more. Aurélien says it could last as long as the 1983.
About this wine producer: When André Bonhomme took over the family vineyards in 1956, he immediately quit selling the grapes in bulk to the local cooperative, exasperating his father, and alienating his neighbors. Setting out to bottle his own wine meant investing in winery equipment, buying bottles and corks, and finding his own customers. But being the first estate-bottler in the Maconnais had a long-term advantage: he was able to get a good, first-hand look at individual wines from unique vineyard sites, and by experiment to learn which vineyards produced the best grapes. By selling his wine in bottle rather than in bulk he was able to earn enough to quietly assemble a patchwork of the best vineyards in the region. Aurélien Palthey, André Bonhomme’s grandson, is the current director of the domaine, and he holds the reins of a cultural monument – one of the greatest estates in Burgundy.
$30.00