Viré-Clessé 2020

Grape Variety : Chardonnay and Chardonnay Muscaté

Soil : Clay, chalk and marl

Site : In the heart of the Mâcon wine growing region, South of Burgundy. The two villages Viré and Clessé form a unique "terroir" on slopes facing South-East. In Viré, the soil is chalky with large layers of clay. In Clessé , the soil structure is slightly different with a combination of chalk and clay mixed with liasic marls combined with oyster- fossils which convey to the wine a specific minerality.This is one of the best white wines of the region combining suppleness and minerality.

The Vintage 2020 : After a very mild winter, spring arrived with warm temperatures in March which engendered a very quick and sustained growth of the vines. After a very short frost episode early May with no consequence in the vineyards, a mild weather with some rains settled down until end of June. Summer was punctuated in July by several and quite long heat waves. Vineyards with a clay soil were less affected by the low level of rainfalls during spring and by the summer heat. The harvest in Burgundy started around August 20, which was historically early for the region. 2020 white wines are showing a lot of energy, with a very precise texture and a beautiful aromatic combination of exotic fruit mixed with yellow fleshed fruit and toasted bread.

Tasting : Pale gold colour. Rrefreshing floral fragrances mixed with white orchard fruit on a hint of minerality. Well-balanced and precise.Delicate minerality. Tense with a well-shaped acidity. Refreshing and slightly salty finish.

Food pairing : A fine, dry apéritif, great with light seafood and raw vegetable hors d'oeuvres.