Saône-et-Loire is the PGI title for wines produced in the administrative department of the same name in Southern Burgundy. The department is best known for its AOC classified Vineyards and villages in the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâcon, but the PGI has yet to relax the winemaking laws for producers. That said, the Grape varieties allowed in the PGI laws are definitely Burgundian. Pinot Noir, Gamay and Chardonnay are joined by the lesser known grapes of Auxerrois, Sauvignon Blanc and Caesar.
However, as most of the department's best vineyard sites are devoted to the production of AOC level wines such as Rully or Mercurey, these wines are not very common. The department is situated between the Loire and the Saône - the former before it flows North to the vineyards of the Loire Valley and the latter before it flows south through Beaujolais to the Rhône. The topography of the region is shaped by these two rivers. Their wide valleys are separated by a hilly plateau in the centre of the department.
There’s no doubt that 2021 was a challenging vintage. Most explanatory statements or technical sheets handed out over the past few weeks have mentioned the unfavourable, oft disastrous weather conditions, the sometimes very low and disheartening yields and the slightly varied or unusual blends on offer in 2021. Difficulties faced by vignerons both inside and outside of the cellar have been explained in detail as has the raft of highly important decisions needed be made throughout the year, ...
Imagine you went to a restaurant and ordered what you thought was a modest Burgundy, but it tasted like a great Bordeaux. Would you be disappointed? Even if what I received was technically a better wine, I think I would be. After all, quality isn’t the overriding criteria when I select a bottle of wine to drink; most of all, I’m thirsting for a specific style. That’s why I’m sometimes wary when hearing about a change of direction in an appellation. Am I still going to find the wine I’m looking f ...
Sequence from the video « At the heart of the Mâcon terroir » which offer a stroll at the heart of the Mâcon terroir. It offers a focus on Mâcon-Vinzelles, one of the 27 geographical denominations of the Mâcon appellation. Travel through the terroirs of the Mâcon appellation by watching the full video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF20y1aBZh8 Both are available in French and English. Our social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BourgogneWines Twitter: https://twitter.com/BourgogneW ...
