Mâcon 1997

The Mâcon area, in the Saône et Loire, is stuck between the last part of Burgundy to the north and the beginning of Beaujolais to the south. The name evokes in turn Lamartine, well-known French politician and poet who was born in Mâcon, the poultry of Bresse and of course wine: red, white and rosé. On a stretch of about 50 kilometre long, the Mâcon vineyards count 5,000 hectares.


Mâcon blanc, made from Chardonnay, does well on the chalky sandy soil in this region; a charming wine, which is stamped with floral and fruity aromas when young, with a dash lemon. The best of these wines have deep aromas of almond and hazelnut, which is typical of the grape variety. This is occasionally enhanced with exotic or even spicy scents of vanilla or wood, depending on if they have been matured in oak barrels or not.


The reds, which are few and made from Gamay, or more rarely Pinot Noir, are bright and gourmand. Finally, the two appellations are Mâcon supérieurs (sometimes followed by the name of their commune) and Mâcon-Villages, of which the more renowned of these are Lugny, Chardonnay, Azé and Péronne.