From: Mâconnais, Burgundy, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Taste: This delightful Chardonnay from Chardonnay is fresh, mineral, pure-fruited, and affordable (!); in fact, this wine embodies everything we fell in love with when we discovered the Mâconnais a few decades ago when “stainless steel Chardonnay” was becoming a “thing.” Aromas of white flowers, lemony citrus, and crisp orchard fruit combine seamlessly to deliver a fantastic white wine that finishes with a mineral, food- and pour-friendly lift.
Pairing: Go for fresh flavors with this wine! Light poultry dishes with a citrus or herb component, seafood of all kinds served as sushi or sashimi, fried, grilled, or roasted, or pasta or rice dishes work beautifully (check out the shrimp and scallop dumpling recipe inspired by this note below). Some specific examples include serving this alongside lemongrass chicken and vermicelli, creamed kale pizza, sesame-brown butter udon noodles, pasta with feta and dill, crispy bean cakes, linguine with crisp chickpeas and rosemary, roasted fish with ginger and scallions, pan-seared scallops or white fish with herbed butter, fish or shrimp tacos, and the classic fish and chips.
Shrimp and Scallop Dumplings
By David Tanis
About. Many thanks to importer Grape Expectations for the following information.
Domaine Talmard Mâcon-Chardonnay
Why we love it:
-
Here we have Chardonnay from the village of Chardonnay!
-
Talmard’s most well-known bottling, this has been BTG staple in the restaurant scene for decades.
The Talmard family has been growing wine in Mâcon through successive generations since the seventeenth century. The family estate in its current form boasts a surface area of thirty hectares sitting on clay-limestone soil in the high quality communes of Uchizy and Chardonnay. The young Gérald Talmard now runs all aspects of the property. His farming and winemaking techniques are ancestral and natural. The big difference here in comparison with other top producers in the appellation is that Talmard picks his fruit slightly earlier giving a brighter, fresher backbone to what are already grapes that show deep-rich fruit expression.
About the region, general. The Mâconnais is situated between the Côte Chalonnaise to the north and Beaujolais to the south, with its vineyards sprawling over rolling hills. The climate in the Mâconnais is a transitional one, blending continental and Mediterranean influences. Summers tend to be warm and sunny, ideal for the ripening of Chardonnay grapes, while winters are generally cold. The region benefits from favorable sunshine, allowing for consistent ripening. However, the weather can vary significantly yearly, affecting the vintage's character.
Soil types in the Mâconnais vary widely, contributing to the diversity of wine styles produced in the region. Limestone is a dominant feature, particularly in the higher elevation areas, contributing to the minerality and fresh characteristic of the region's wines. Clay, marl, and chalk are also present in various parts, offering different nutrient content levels and water retention, influencing vine growth and grape characteristics. The presence of limestone and clay is particularly beneficial for producing wines with elegance and complexity.
The 2022 Vintage Report for the Mâconnais. The 2022 vintage came as a relief after the disastrously short 2021 harvest. The weather was wet but mild through the spring, precipitating an early flowering. The growing season was warm without destructive heat spikes, and harvest began early in the Mâconnais in the last two weeks of August. Yields were normal, acidities fresh, and the wines balanced and aromatic, without excessive alcohol.
