Mâcon

This has been further supported by acquisitions in Mâcon from Domains including Meusaults Comte Lafon, both an acknowledgment of the quality potential of the region and the cost of expansion in the Côte d’Or.

The Mâconnais is the soul of southern Burgundy, extending over some 40 km of the Côte Chalonnaise as far as the Rock of Solutré.  The vines occupy a landscape of little hills and valleys, and are bordered on one side by the river Saône and the Grosne on the other. Vines were first planted here in Gallo-Roman times and were fostered in the Middle Ages by the powerful abbeys of Tournus and Cluny.

We’ve seen acquisitions in Mâcon from Domains including Meusaults Comte Lafon, both an acknowledgment of the quality potential of the region and the cost of expansion in the Côte d’Or. The world has become increasingly aware of what many savvy French have known for a long time, there is some serious tasty vino and affordable vino coming out of the Mâcon.

Today the Mâconnais represents the biggest winegrowing area in Burgundy and is home to the Mâcon AOC, which covers 4224 ha. Established in in 1937, this regional appellation is divided into three levels, which correspond to production under different sites, regulations and of varying quality levels.

The first level covers wines that bear the Mâcon appellation and are produced across the entire area. They can include white, red and rose wines. The second level is the Mâcon Villages appellation, which is reserved for white wines produced in a more restricted areas. The third level corresponds to the highest level of regional appellations, and covers white, red and rose wines from a limited area within the Mâcon – approximately half the AOC. For these wines, the label must include the name of one of 27 specific villages or geographical denominations.

Learn about these the Mâcon and its geographical denominationsin the Wine Bites Mag Article “Getting Your Head Around Burgundy Part 12 – The Villages of the Mâcconais”.