Wedged between the Côte Chalonnaise and Beaujolais, the Mâconnais district’s 21 mile stretch boasts a geology not dissimilar to the famed Côte de Beaune to its north. Mâcon’s epicenter, Mont de Pouilly, rises gently with alkaline clay covering a stark limestone base, a nirvana for the Chardonnay vines in intermittent plots that laze smugly along the river Saône. The vines are traditionally Guyot (cane) pruned and the best vineyards keep yields below three tons per acre. With favorable south east exposures and agreeable weather, the potential for generous, layered whites offering some of the best value in Burgundy, and possibly the world, is unlimited.
