WEBSTER BARNES SELECTION

Vieilles Vignes

Mâcon-Villages

WHITE

Chardonnay

France

2022

90 points James Suckling

Total acidity

5.14 g/L

3.29

Alcohol

12.5%

Volume

750ml

TASTING NOTES

Bursting with floral, citrus and stone fruit notes, our old vine Chardonnay vineyard transmits to every glass a taste of Southern Burgundy’s resplendent sunshine. Despite the exuberant fruit, there is an elegance of texture and a detailed, harmonious finish to our Mâcon-Villages – a perfect balance of power and grace.

FOOD PAIRINGS

Fettuccini Alfredo, Salmon in a cream sauce, mushroom risotto.

DOMAINE

Situated on the border between two iconic locations for wine – Beaujolais and the Máconnais – the domaine remains in the same family across four generations of experimentation, evolution and respect for the land. The grapes for the blend are sourced from our oldest vineyard parcels selected across a variety of microclimates, chosen for their propensity to ripen consistently and evenly. Their main attribute, however, is the ability to retain a level of freshness that is a hallmark of the wines produced in the communes fortunate enough to bear the name of the Mâcon-Villages appellation.

TERROIR

The Mâconnais region shares much in common with Burgundy’s two famous côtes – Beaune and Nuits; in particular the limestone-clay soils and vine-carpeted, gentle slopes interspersed with erosion-deepened valleys. The difference, however, is directly linked to the climate – in the Mâconnais, the vines profit from a longer, milder and sunnier growing season. The resulting wines have a more « solar » personality, warm, inviting, textured and utterly charming.

WINEMAKING

While the axiom « old vines make better wine » is admittedly too simplistic, one thing is for sure – the vines’ lack of youthful vitality reduces yields naturally, leading to grapes with increased flavor intensity. To extract the full potential of the fruit, the grapes are picked at night to retain freshness and gently pressed immediately upon reception at the winery. A period of cold settling allows for purification of the juice, which is then cool fermented to dryness in stainless steel.