Viré-Clessé Cuvée Levroutée Domaine de la Bongran (J.Thevenet) 2017

“Mâcon master”, Jean Thévenet, is both a pioneer of natural winemaking and a staunch defender of so-called “levrouté” wines (presenting residual sugars from grapes picked very ripe, late in the season). He vinifies Chardonnay grapes which are picked overripe (some fruit even reaches noble rot) and undergo malolactic fermentation before a long, 20-month ageing process in tuns on fine lees. This Mâconnais white wine is golden-robed with an expressive bouquet, exuding perfumes of cooked apple, mushrooms and truffle. Complex and long lasting in the mouth, it perfectly balances ripe yellow fruit aromas with fresh acidity. A wine well-suited to long cellaring (15-20 years), it is best decanted at least two hours before serving.