Mâconnais

The Mâconnais is the southern part of Burgundy, around Mâcon, 400 km from Paris. Its wine is mostly chardonnay, grown on limestone hills below the Roche de Solutré.

The wine

The Mâconnais is chardonnay country. The grape makes up 80% of all vines planted here, with some gamay alongside it. The area sits in the south of Burgundy, and its white wines come from limestone hills.

The best-known hills are in the south, where the land rises to Mont de Pouilly and other limestone heights covered in alkaline clay, which suits chardonnay. The villages of Vergisson, Solutré-Pouilly, Fuissé and Chaintré lie at their feet. Together they make up the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation, which covers 756.71 ha and produces white wine only.

Pouilly-Fuissé also has the first Premiers Crus in the Mâconnais. Its 22 Premiers Crus Climats have been in effect since the 2020 vintage, and a label may carry the name of the Climat. They cover 194 ha, or 24% of the appellation.

The Mâconnais has five village appellations in all: Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Saint-Véran and Viré-Clessé. Wider regional labels include Mâcon, Mâcon-Villages and Mâcon followed by a village name.

Visiting

Stay in Mâcon, or closer to the rock in Solutré-Pouilly, which is 10 km west of Mâcon and 6 km from the Mâcon-Sud exit of the A6. Mâcon itself is 65 km north of Lyon.

Fees run from free to €35 ($38). Château Chardonnay, in the village of Chardonnay, offers a simple tasting for individuals at no cost and without an appointment, daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its personalised visit for 4 to 11 people, with a light meal (mâchon), costs €35 ($38) per person and needs an appointment.

In Solutré-Pouilly, the Atrium du Pouilly-Fuissé is a shared tasting room run by the Union of Pouilly-Fuissé Producers, with wines from over 90 estates. A guided tasting in French and English covers 6 Pouilly-Fuissé wines, including one Premier Cru, for €6.5 ($7). In July and August it also holds free tastings on Wednesday mornings.

In the Viré-Clessé area, the Cave de Clessé is open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. The cooperative Cave de Viré opens Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. In winter it closes at 6 p.m., and on Sunday afternoons in January and February it does not open at all.

Between tastings, climb the Roche de Solutré, which rises to 493 m. The climb is easy, and the round trip takes about 1 hour. From the top you see the Saône plain, the city of Mâcon and the vine-covered hillsides that produce Pouilly-Fuissé. The Museum of Prehistory is at the foot of the rock, and the whole site is part of the Solutré-Pouilly-Vergisson Grand Site de France.

Spit at tastings, and choose a designated driver if you are moving between villages by car.