2021 Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau Clos Saint Pancras Mâcon-Villages

Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau is a small estate run by two talented winemakers, Frantz Chagnoleau and his wife Caroline Gon (winemaker at Héritiers du Comte Lafon). Frantz has a degree in oenology and gained his experience with Olivier Merlin in the Mâconnais. Caroline has two degrees in agricultural engineering and oenology; She worked at Newton Vineyards in Napa Valley before returning to France to work with Dominique Lafon as head winemaker for Héritiers du Comte Lafon. The relationship with Dominque as a friend and mentor has had a profound influence on the pair, evidenced by a lineup of pure, terroir-driven Mâconnais wines.

Since 2013, all vineyards are certified organic. Similar to Lafon, this dynamic duo believes in minimal intervention, including using only native yeast, as the best way to express the nuances of each unique terroir. Aging takes place in largely large, used French oak, harvesting is done entirely by hand, per lot, allowing each vine to reach the correct balance of sugar and acidity before picking. This dynamic duo are one of the most talented teams in all of Burgundy, farming the old fashioned way and micro-batching single vineyard white Burgundy from some of the best Chardonnay terroirs in the world.

The Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau Clos Saint Pancras Mâcon-Villages is a certified organic 100% Chardonnay. It comes from a vineyard on a hill near Clessé near Viré at an altitude of 240 meters. This small southwest vineyard plot of less than half a hectare, planted on limestone clay with a relatively large amount of limestone on a substrate rich in iron oxides. The vineyard is densely planted and is grown organically (Ecocert certified). Both fermentation and maturation are natural and take place for 12 months in used burgundy barrels on the yeast cells. The wine then rests for another six months in steel barrels. The attack is powerful and dominated by notes of ripe yellow fruit and some orange and nutmeg. The taste is also rich, characterized by notes of candied citrus, some butter alongside tight minerals and perfect, lively acidity. A wine to drink for the next five to eight years with fish in creamy sauce or dishes based on mushrooms