Jean-Marie Chaland Domaine Sainte Barbe Viré-Clessé Chazelles 2023

Chaland Jean-Marie Domaine Sainte Barbe Viré-Clessé Chazelles has subtle white flower aromas on the nose. More savoury and serious than the '19, but still with lovely ripe stone fruit complemented by a fine minerality that adds real finesse and complexity. Perfectly balanced, truely delicious with a hint of oak texture. The Chaland family's Chardonnay vineyards cover 8.2 hectares in the villages of Viré and Montbellet. They are divided into 25 plots across three appellations: Viré-Clessé (5.7 ha), Mâcon-Villages (2 ha) and Mâcon (0.5 ha). Since the '12 vintage, the Chalands also cultivate 80 ares of old vine Gamay in the Mâcon-Burgy appellation.Old vines, 50 to 100 years of age, make up 75% of the domaine's vineyards as the depth and complexity of flavour these vines provide cannot be replicated. The grapes are manually harvested, fermentation takes place with naturally-occurring yeasts, and minimal quantities of sulphites are added. Jean-Marie Chaland’s wines are characterised by wonderfully ripe, generous fruit balanced by a fine mineral, sometimes saline, acidity. They have both finesse and complexity and are a great expression of what we think makes the Mâconnais such an exciting wine region.