Macon Pierreclos En Tremblay, Verget 2023

The 2023 Mâcon-Pierreclos en Tremblay comes from 80-year-old vines. This is not powerful on the nose, but I like the focus and the soupçon of mineralité that comes through. The palate is well balanced with ample weight and density, less peppery than its peers, the botrytised berries plus 20% new oak barrel lending grip on the finish. One of my favourite cuvées from Verget this year. Drink 2026-2036.

From old vines (70 to 80 years old) growing in schist soils, the 2023 Mâcon-Pierreclos En Tremblay reveals aromas of crisp orchard fruit, citrus zest and freshly baked bread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy palate that's brighter than the profile I typically associate with this sort of terroir—perhaps because it's made from free-run and first-press juice. 2024 - 2032

Single-vineyard wine produced from the En Tremblay site at high elevation on the plateau of the village of Pierreclos. Red granitic soil – similar to the soils found in certain Beaujolais crus. According to winemaker Julien Desplans: 'It’s not best suited to Chardonnay! This is why we harvest this plot with a portion of beautiful botrytis which allows us to concentrate the substance of this wine.' 20% botrytised berries. All matured in oak barrels (20% new).Light nose and quite tense structure with a trace of oak still evident. Very embryonic and tucked in. (JR)