Top 2018 Côte Chalonnaise & Mâconnais en primeur wines

Côte Chalonnaise

‘The reds of Mercurey and Givry are the region’s stand outs’

Apart from heat stress in some vineyards, especially those planted with young vines or located on poorer soils, the Côte Chalonnaise had a comparatively comfortable vintage in 2018, with no frost or hail damage.

White wine yields were the highest since 2009, with many producers reporting crops of 60hl/ha or more. Overall, the region made 22.5% more white wine in 2018 than 2017, compared with a drop of 1.1% for the reds.

Scroll down to see Tim’s top Côte Chalonnaise & Mâconnais tasting notes & scores

Appellations where machine-picking is the norm sometimes suffered from notes of bitterness in the wines, partly because of the thick skins on some bunches, while dilution was a problem when volumes were allowed to get out of hand.

There are some very good whites, especially in Rully, where the premiers crus are often impressive, but it is the reds of Mercurey and Givry that are the region’s stand out wines.

See all Côte Chalonnaise 2018 wines

When the grapes were picked at the right time, Côte Chalonnaise Pinot Noirs delivered some of the best value in Burgundy in 2018.

Best producers

Domaine Bruno Lorenzon

Domaine François Lumpp

Domaine Paul and Marie Jacqueson

Domaine Tupinier-Bautista

Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthial

Mâconnais

‘There is value for money to be found here’

Dominated as it is by Chardonnay, the Mâconnais reflected the elevated white wine yields across the entire region in 2018. Olivier Merlin reported his biggest-ever crop and was not alone in filling his cellar.

‘It was a big harvest,’ says Merlin, ‘but it reminds me of 1982, which also produced balanced wines, rather than 2000 or 1996, which were slightly hollow.’

Jean-Philippe Bret of Bret Brothers says that the generous quantities and the record late autumn and winter rainfall, which helped the vines to resist the heatwave, saved the vintage.

See all Mâconnais 2018 wines

The region largely dodged the storms this year, although Mâcon-Cruzilles and Quintaine were hit by hail in early July.

The only other challenge, as elsewhere in Burgundy, was picking at the right moment, with very rapid accumulation of sugars in the warmer parts of Pouilly-Fuissé.

Overall, this is a good to very good vintage for the region’s whites, especially those from cooler sites in Vergisson and Milly-Lamartine, which retained natural acidity.

Significantly, the diurnal variation in 2018 was higher than in 2017 and 2015, and it shows in the balance of the best wines. Once again, there is value for money to be found here.

Best producers:

Château de Fuissé

Château des Rontets

Clos des Vignes du Maynes

Domaine Christophe Cordier

Héritiers du Comte Lafon

See Tim’s top 2018 Côte Chalonnaise & Mâconnais en primeur wines:

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