In many ways the Côte d'Or and the Côte Mâconnais are very different. Mâcon is and always has been a very significant part of Burgundy, but it has never shared the prestige, power, and wealth of the Côte d'Or, while the Côte d'Or, with its regimented monoculture, long ago lost much of the bucolic charm that makes Mâcon such a precious element of the French patrimony in the 21st century.
In vinous terms however, the Côte d'Or and Mâcon have much in common, not least the precious limestone terroir that transports chardonnay to its highest heights: it cannot be insignificant that the village that gives the grape its name is in Mâcon, not the Côte d'Or. In the last generation it has become clearly apparent that white Mâconnais wines can challenge Côte d'Or whites in terms of quality; this is where the fun comes in for wine lovers, because the price differential between the two regions massively favours Mâcon.
Domaine de la Sarazinière is a humble family domaine that exemplifies everything that is delightful about Mâcon, producing authentic French country wines of great character and class. The estate is just 6 hectares, three of which are chardonnay. Cuvee Claude Seigneret comes from 4 distinct plots of 60-80 year old South-facing vines growing on the quintessential Burgundian mix of clay and limestone. Farming is a classic example of 'organics by default' - the ancient natural methods which peasants employed because they simply had no choice. The wine is a pure expression of chardonnay grown on calcareous soil, combining charmingly delicate aromatics and serious minerality.
If all of this is music to the ears of any Burgundy lover, it gets even better: because Domaine de la Sarazinière is still largely unknown, it is grotesquely underpriced, even compared to other Mâconnais wines. How lucky can we be?
|
