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MACONNAIS
With 80% of his production exported and with clients like the Elysées Presidential Palace in Paris or the renowned restaurant El Bulli in Spain, talented French winemaker Cyril Alonso already has a great future behind him.
After studies at the prestigious Ecole Viticole de Beaune, Alonso created his domain with minimal means
and an original approach, that of an “itinerant vinifier.“ Not only does he own no vines, he has no winemaking facility either! Working with the top producers of “vins naturels,” he selects a parcel of vines that he rents for a single vintage, determines the date of the harvest (accomplished with his own personnel), then vinifies and raises the wine entirely on the property of his grape supplier.
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| Macon-Chaintré |
The grapes are grown from 60 year old vines on a choice hillside parcel of clay-limestone soil with a southern exposure.
Yields are tiny (20 hectolitres/hectare)and production is limited to 200 cases.
This 100% chardonnay cuvée is barrel-fermented for 18 months without sulphites and with exclusively indigenous yeasts, followed by a 24 month elevage on fine lees in stainless steel tanks. The fermentation, meant to develop great layers of complexity, can last so long due to the exceptional maturity of the grapes, the vigor of the natural yeasts and the cold temperatures which slow down the fermentation.
The wine receives only 15 mg/hectolitre of SO2 at bottling and undergoes neither fining nor filtration.
This rare cuvée is stocked for an additional 5 and a half years before it is released. This pure and well balanced Chardonnay has a honey and saffron nose, with saffron and spices on a rich palate and a very fresh finish.
Enjoy this bottle with sea fish, veal or poultry associated with exotic seasonings.
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