Decoding the Mâconnais: Burgundy lovers should keep their eyes on this southern star

There are unquestionably wines produced in the Mâconnais today that equal the renowned wines of the Côte d'Or and Chablis.

Although their style is different from what one finds further north, lovers of white Burgundy who appreciate value absolutely need to know the Mâconnais well.

However, the confusing nature of the appellations in the Mâconnais holds some back. Chablis and the Côte d'Or are richly endowed with village, premier cru and grand cru appellations.

The situation is different, however, in the Mâconanais, where there is an ocean of regional-level wine, relatively few village-level appellations, scarce premiers crus, and no grands crus.

A brief history of a southern star

This structure reflects the region's low ebb at the creation of the appellation system in the 1930s, yet the fame of the Mâconnais reaches back to the 10th century and the monks of the Cluny Abbey, and many sites warrant rediscovery.

As recently as the late 19th century, the region was more highly regarded. In 1893, the politician and winegrower Victor Vermorel wrote a book classifying the region's vineyards.

One can begin to discover the Mâconnais in the famous villages lauded by Vermorel.

The famous crus: Pouilly-Fuissé and neighbours

The most renowned cru of the Mâconnais is Pouilly-Fuissé; four villages have the right to this appellation: Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly, Vergisson and Chaintré.

Parts of these villages are village-level, parts are premier cru, and other portions are classified as regional appellation.

In the same way, nearby Pouilly-Vinzelles and Pouilly Loché also have sites in all three tiers of the appellation, as do those around the St-Véran cru in Solutré-Pouilly, Davayé and Prissé, an area that can produce surprisingly good regional-level wines.

The next step after tasting the wines of the areas surrounding the crus is to become familiar with the vineyards on the next chain of hills to the west.

These follow the line south to north along the Saône, beginning with Pierreclos in the south, west of Vergisson, and continue north through Bussières, Milly-Lamartine, La Roche-Vineuse, Verzé, Igé, to Azé and Peronne.

This section is west of Viré-Clessé. Vineyards continue to the north, with Cruzille, Chardonnay, and Uchizy all located not far from Tournus.

These villages are home to several extremely talented vignerons whose renown is hampered by the system of classification that lumps all the wines together as regional appellations.

If you start your journey of discovery with the best of the Mâcon + village name category, however, you are certain to discover a wealth of hidden gems.

Here are 10 of my favourites, organised roughly from north to south.

My 10 favourite Macon + village name appellations

Mâcon-Chardonnay

‘Chardonnay’ here is a place, named for a village just outside of Tornus. The vines are planted on east-facing slopes between 240m-350m elevation in limestone soils, and the appellation includes portions of the villages of Chardonnay as well as Ozenay, Plottes and Tournus.

The best wines are from the tops of the slope, where the vines can deliver a lively, vivacious wine even in warmer years.

Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Bret Brothers and Domaine des Crêts all produce interesting and fairly available versions from this village.

Mâcon-Lugny

Mâcon-Lugny is among the larger appellations, spread across parts of four villages, making it more than twice the size of Mâcon-Chardonnay.

Inevitably, there is some variation of style and quality. The best wines are lively and fresh, with lemony fruit and a hint of mineral.

A particular favourite is the single-vineyard Mâcon-Lugny Les Crays vers Vaux from Domaine Rijkaert (sometimes sold as Domaine Florent Rouve in the UK).

Another solid source is Domaine Thevenard in Uchizy, run by two young brothers who are rising stars in the area.

Mâcon-Verzé

Compared to some appellations, Verzé is tiny, with only 60ha under vine. The vines face west and north, looking into the central valley west of the hills.

These cooler sites ripen grapes more slowly, making them well-suited to retaining structure in warm years. Verzé is the home base of the Mâconnais arm of Domaine Leflaive.

Brice de la Morandière, managing director of the domaine, is particularly fond of the southwest-facing old-vine plot in Le Monté. It is, he says, ‘the favourite child.’

Other top sources include the iconoclastic Domaine Jules Desjourneys and classic Pouilly-Fuissé house Domaine Thibert.

Mâcon-La Roche Vineuse

‘The winey rock’ is a beguiling name for a town in Burgundy. It begins in the west as a southern continuation of Mâcon-Verzé, with vines facing west, and a south-facing amphitheatre on the back of that gentle slope above Saint-Véran.

Continuing to the east, the hills of the appellation face east in the communes of Chevagny-les-Chevrières and Hurigny.

Domaine Merlin makes a superb single-vineyard wine from lieu-dit Les Cras. Many talented producers are working here – Florent Rouve at Domaine Rijkaert makes an old-vine cuvée, as do his partners at Deux Roches.

The best of these wines has a rich floral character and a suggestion of stone fruit.

Macon-Bussières

Bussières is an intriguing terroir with two steep slopes that face each other across the Petite Grosne.

The portion on the right bank looks south; the vines on the left bank looking north are on the back side of the Roche de Vergisson and touch Pouilly-Fuissé.

The soils here are a blend of limestone scree, sandy clay and limestone. The left bank example from Maison Verget is from the lieu-dit Monbrison, which touches Vergisson, gives a tense, structured wine, while a right bank version from Héritiers des Comtes Lafon in Le Monsard gives a denser, riper style.

Mâcon-Pierreclos

Pierreclos lies just west of Bussières, but here the lay of the land is different – instead of north and south, the vines face east and west.

The most well-known terroirs are those farmed by Jean-Marie Guffens and his team, Chavigné and En Crazy.

Not far from En Crazy lies the Clos des Charmes, a monopole of Domaine Eric Forest, rising-star winemakers Franz Chagnoleau and his wife Caroline Gon, also produce an admirable blended Vieilles Vignes.

These wines are more mineral with a flinty edge and lively tropical fruit.

Mâcon-Vergisson

Most of the vines in the commune of Vergisson are classified as Pouilly-Fuissé, with one important exception.

There is a lieu-dit called Sur la Roche; the lower portion of Sur la Roche is Pouilly-Fuissé premier cru, but the higher elevations are regional-level Mâcon-Vergisson.

This site (more than 10ha) gives what is perhaps some of the finest ‘regional-level’ wine anywhere in France.

There are thrilling versions made by many domaines, including Guffens-Heynen, Eric Forest, Domaine Barraud and the Saumaize family.

Macon-Fuissé

Fuissé, like Vergisson, produces both Pouilly-Fuissé and regional-level wines. Many of the regional-level plots are located on the same limestone and clay soil as the best Pouilly-Fuissé but at higher elevations.

There are marvellous versions from Domaine Robert-Denogent, Domaine Thibert and Domaine Sophie Cinier, who makes a single-vineyard Perrières and a blended cuvée from across the appellation.

The best of these wines share some of the creamy, rich texture of Pouilly-Fuissé from the same village.

Mâcon-Vinzelles

Pouilly-Vinzelles is the next appellation north of the village of Chaintré. These are lower-elevation vineyards closer to the Saône, and the wines are rich and dense, with a lush character that stretches out to a long finish.

The village was given the right to label some of its wines as premier cru in 2024.

One of these is Les Quarts, surrounded by regional-level vines, not far from the Clos de Grandpère monopole of Domaine de la Soufrandière which is classed as Mâcon-Vinzelles.

Mâcon-Loché

Loché lies just north of Vinzelles and, like its neighbour, was awarded a premier cru in 2024. Local vigneron Marcel Couturier and his son Auxence farm 14ha.

The eponymous domaine is certified biodynamic and is located mostly in Loché. Their parcel Les Longues Terres is on the other side of town from premier cru Les Mures, yet shares some of its lush, exotic richness; older bottles opened at the estate demonstrate that it can age for years in a proper cellar.

The diversity in the terroir and in the style of the wines in the appellations of the Mâconnais should convince anyone who tastes with an open mind that this is among the most exciting – and best value – regions of Burgundy.

Wines from the Mâconnais: 10 to try

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