Le Chai Duchet - Macon Blanc, Bourgogne, France (2022)

TASTING NOTES

With similar soil and climate to Pouilly-Fuisse and just a stone's throw away, Le Chai Duchet offers so much great value. This is a refined, yet intense wine with white peach, dried honey, fresh lime, and apricot on the finish. this is quite fleshy, but with a nice core of acidity to keep it fresh and from straying into tropical vibes. 

Le Chai Duchet was established in 2013 by Alexis Duchet and his parents. Alexis is the seventh generation to work his family’s land in the village of Viré which is situated in the Haut-Maconnais, 18km north of Macon. The wines are fermented with their indigenous yeast and with low total SO2 levels. The Macon-Villages comes from parcels of very old vines situated on the lower elevations of the Viré slopes.

In 1928, Alexis’ great grandparents joined with other wine growers of Viré to create a cooperative which enabled them to both vinify and commercialize their wines. Alexis’ parents were working with this same cooperative until they decided to build a small winery, “le chai duchet” and shift their focus to estate bottled wines. Alexis travelled extensively, doing winemaking stints in unusual places such as Margaret River and Ontario, as well as closer to home in Meursault and the Savoie before returning to his family estate. He has since inherited 9.5 hectares from his parents; 7ha in Viré-Clessé and 2.5ha in Macon-Villages.

This wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and has no oak influence; the richness and creamy texture comes from malolactic fermentation and lees contact.  indigenous yeasts and there is minimal use of SO2 during and after winemaking.