Top Mâconnais 2020 en primeur wines
Charles Curtis MW presents a summary of the Mâconnais 2020 wines finding plenty of value if you know where to look.
At the end of a relatively warm and sunny winter season, budbreak in the Mâconnais occurred at the end of March.
According to Audrey Braccini of Domaine J.A. Ferret, the rains at the end of April ensured that the vines were an entire month ahead of an average vintage.
Scroll down for tasing notes and scores of Charles’ top-scoring Mâconnais 2020 wines
There was welcome rain in June throughout much of the region, but there was little pressure from mildew or rot. Most of the month was sunny and warm, with the first signs of veraison occurring in early July.
Braccini notes that there were variations within the Mâconnais and that the northern sector was drier than the region south of Fuissé, thus producing wines of greater concentration.
Picking began on the 24th August and a large, healthy crop was brought in, with all the generosity of 2018 but better acidity levels.
See the score table listing Charles’ top Mâconnais 2020 wines all scoring 95 points or above
See all 650 Burgundy 2020 tasting notes and scores
How the Mâconnais 2020 wines are tasting
Lovely wines were produced throughout the Mâconnais, particularly from the appellations Mâcon-Villages, Pouilly-Fuissé, St-Véran, Viré-Clessé and Mâcon-Vergisson, where many sites face east or northeast and sit high on the slope. This location helped mitigate the effects of the heat in 2020.
Viré and Clessé were classed with Mâcon-Villages until 1999 when they became the first village-level wines to break out from this semi-regional category. Both are located in the northern part of this zone. Wines from local specialist Domaine Les Grands Crays were delicious.
Quick links:
See further analysis and top-scoring wines of the following areas:
Côte de Beaune | Côte de Nuits| Côte Chalonnaise
Morey-St-Denis | Meursault | Gevrey-Chambertin | Chambolle-Musigny | Pommard and Volnay | Vosne-Romanée
The first year for Pouilly-Fuissé’s premier crus
It was also a solid year for Pouilly-Fuissé. It is gratifying that the first year to see wines labelled as premier cru was so successful.
Here the grapes ripened well but retained a lively acidity. Delicious wines were produced throughout the zone, although those around Vergisson stand out here as well. Look for the lieu-dit La Roche to explore these well-balanced wines.
Growers also made delicious wine in the southernmost reaches of the Mâconnais such as St-Véran, and Verget enjoyed particular success.
In the warm, sunny conditions of 2020, the Mâconnais delivered lush fruit, but there was also solid value, and top producers have given us wines of balance and even tension.
Mâconnais 2020 top-value wines:
Domaine Ferret, Hors-Classe Tournant de Pouilly Cuvée, 1er Cru Les Reisses, 2020
Domaine Barraud, La Roche, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Vergisson, 2020
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Clos du Four, Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine, 2020
Mâconnais 2020 top producers:
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon
Verget
(These two producers delivered fine work across many appellations)
Domaine J.A. Ferret
Domaine Daniel & Julien Barraud
Château-Fuissé
(These three producers stand out for their Pouilly-Fuissé)
See tasting notes and scores for Charles Curtis MW’s top-scoring Mâconnais 2020 wines
Related content:
Burgundy 2020 en primeur: Full report plus top-scoring wines
Top 2020 Côte Chalonnaise en primeur wines
Top 2020 Côte de Beaune en primeur wines
Guffens-Heynen, Premier Jus des Premiers Crus, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
This is a lush and complex wine, with an evocative nose of ripe pear, mineral, smoke and flint, that opens up to show great density...
2020
Guffens-HeynenMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Clos du Four, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine, Burgundy, France, 2020
A ripe apple fruit tending slightly towards the tropical. The fruit is pressed as whole clusters and fermented in large casks to give a wine...
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Verget, Sur la Roche, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Vergisson, Burgundy, France, 2020
There is a supremely lively lemony freshness on the nose, accented with a saline minerality and subtle shadings of white flowers. The aromas carry over...
2020
VergetMâconnais
Verget, Le Haut de la Roche, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
This Pouilly-Fuissé is produced from a site at the top of Sur la Roche, part of which is premier cru. The top of the lieu-dit,...
2020
VergetMâconnais
Domaine Ferret, Hors Classe Tournant de Pouilly, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses, Burgundy, France, 2020
Shows a pronounced ripe apple character, with hints of hazelnut and chamomile. On the palate, there is density, power and length—a noble wine. In the...
2020
Domaine FerretMâconnais
Domaine Pierre Vessigaud, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Reisses, Burgundy, France, 2020
A nice mix of lemon peel and passionfruit, with a texture that is both silky and firmly fresh, almost chiseled. A super wine. The Vessigaud...
2020
Domaine Pierre VessigaudMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Bussières, Burgundy, France, 2020
Ripe apple fruit, with floral notes and a suggestion of minerality. The texture is supple and rich, with a lingering weight on the palate. Produced...
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine, Burgundy, France, 2020
The fruit is lemony and bright, and the richness is balanced by a lively acidity, although there is still impressive breadth and density on the...
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Uchizy, Burgundy, France, 2020
The wine has a ripe apricot and quince nose, plus a rich, waxy texture that is supple, elegant and long. The grapes for this cuvée...
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Domaine Barraud, La Roche, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Vergisson, Burgundy, France, 2020
Domaine Barraud has produced here a lovely, lemony 2020 that is not lacking richness while maintaining a thrilling freshness. The lieu-dit Sur la Roche stretches...
2020
Domaine BarraudMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâconnais, St-Véran, Burgundy, France, 2020
This is a wine of impressive balance and length, produced from a number of parcels spread over nearly 2ha in Prissé and Davayé that ripen...
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâconnais, Viré-Clessé, Burgundy, France, 2020
Shows a ripe passion fruit aroma, with a floral edge and a ripe, lush texture on the palate. Lafon is the owner of the Château...
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Verget, Les Combes, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
This wine is intensely aromatic, with hints of coconut, passionfruit, butter, spice and honey. The texture is equally compelling, with a lovely creamy richness and...
2020
VergetMâconnais
Domaine Barraud, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Crays, Burgundy, France, 2020
In 2020 the balance is particularly deft, with a ripe apple fruit enlivened by crisp lemon peel notes and a saline undercurrent. The texture is...
2020
Domaine BarraudMâconnais
Domaine Ferret, Tête de Cru Le Clos de Jeanne, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Les Perrières, Burgundy, France, 2020
There is more toasty ripe apple to the nose than citrus; the wine is perhaps a bit heavily wooded, but holding it well. On the...
2020
Domaine FerretMâconnais
Château-Fuissé, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Le Clos, Burgundy, France, 2020
Located in the heart of the village of Fuissé itself, on thin clay and marl soils over limestone at the top of the slope. The...
2020
Château-FuisséMâconnais
Domaine Barraud, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru Sur la Roche, Burgundy, France, 2020
From a 0.75ha holding in one of the top lieux-dits in all of Pouilly-Fuissé, this has a marvellously citrusy fruit on the fresh attack. The...
2020
Domaine BarraudMâconnais
Rijckaert, Mâconnais, Mâcon La Roche-Vineuse, Burgundy, France, 2020
Really stands out with its surprisingly bright, fresh citrusy fruit, elegant texture and good freshness on the palate. Located on the slopes between Prissé and...
2020
RijckaertMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Clos de la Crochette, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Chardonnay, Burgundy, France, 2020
The wine features ripe, almost tropical aromas and a lush, dense texture on the palate. The Clos de la Crochette boasts 2.6ha of south-facing slopes...
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Domaine Pierre Vessigaud, Les Tâches, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
Delicious. A beautifully pure lemony fruit comes through, with hints of smoke and saline mineral notes. The texture is lively and fresh, yet there is...
2020
Domaine Pierre VessigaudMâconnais
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Prissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
Open, accessible aromas of ripe apple and flowers. The texture is rich and broad, yet there is enough acidity here to keep everything in balance....
2020
Les Héritiers du Comte LafonMâconnais
Domaine de la Garenne, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
A lovely, expressive wine with a lively, lemony fruit displaying a mineral cast. The cask ferment and ageing have marked the wine subtly and the...
2020
Domaine de la GarenneMâconnais
Domaine Ferret, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
Beautiful lemony fruit, with mineral notes and bright aromas of acacia flowers. On the palate the texture is silky and lively, but there is a...
2020
Domaine FerretMâconnais
Rijckaert, En Crèches, Mâconnais, St-Véran, Burgundy, France, 2020
A buttery, creamy wine, with a nice lemony twist to it, good depth and a surprisingly long finish. A standout. En Crèches is located next to...
2020
RijckaertMâconnais
Domaine Saumaize-Michelin, Les Crèches, Mâconnais, St-Véran, Burgundy, France, 2020
Fermented in cask and aged for a year, there is a ripe apricot and quince fruit, with an edge of minerality. The texture is typical...
2020
Domaine Saumaize-MichelinMâconnais
Verget, Lieu (Inter)dit, Mâconnais, St-Véran, Burgundy, France, 2020
Tasted blind, this was a wine that stood out, with aromas of ripe pear, apple and hazelnut, with a bit of smoke and spice from...
2020
VergetMâconnais
Verget, Vigne de Saint Claude, Mâconnais, St-Véran, Burgundy, France, 2020
Despite the received wisdom about the Guffens method and the St-Véran appellation, this is a model of freshness and elegance, with bright lemon peel aromas,...
2020
VergetMâconnais
Domaine Cordier, Mâconnais, Viré-Clessé, Burgundy, France, 2020
Produced from sustainably farmed old vines in Viré-Clessé, this wine punches above its weight. Although somewhat marked by the wood (which is very well done),...
2020
Domaine CordierMâconnais
Eric Forest, La Roche, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
The wine is lightly crushed and fermented in cask (two-thirds François Frères, one-third Chassin) to yield this wine with lovely citrus peel and exotic tropical...
2020
Eric ForestMâconnais
Verget, Les Vernays, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France, 2020
The wine is rich and dense, showing hints of ripe apple, apricot, quince and passionfruit. The texture is creamy, yet there is marvellous balance here...
2020
VergetMâconnais