Marie-Pierre Manciat Clos Noly Saint-Véran AOC Burgundy, France

June 19, 2020

Sold out — more on the way!

World-Class Chardonnay at an affordable price!

This delicious Chardonnay is another selection I personally sourced and had brought into North Carolina. It’s another excellent example of the significant savings AWM newsletter subscribers enjoy.

One of the great joys of being a wine merchant is the privilege of meeting wonderful people worldwide who make wine and share the love and regard for our favorite beverage. It’s even more special when I get to meet them on their home turf. In all of my travels, I must admit, Burgundy is a top favorite.

Burgundy is one of the most celebrated wine regions in the world; however, they produce just a tiny amount of wine. Everything here is done on a microscopic scale, and in most cases, vineyard ownership is measured by rows, not hectares. Thanks to this small scale of production, winemakers of this region have a very personal attachment to the production. The guy or gal jumping off of the tractor in the vineyard is very likely the owner of the property and also the winemaker.

Burgundy and its wines are relatively easy to understand once you’re armed with some basic information about the region.

AWM Quick-Guide — Burgundy

For many years, the southern part of Burgundy has played second fiddle to the more famous, and more expensive neighbors to the north, Côtes de Beaune and Côtes de Nuits. Today this is no longer the case, and Southern Burgundy, especially the Macôn, now leads the way when it comes to excellent quality at a friendly price.

The Macôn is all about Chardonnay, and for me, it’s the epicenter of affordable Chardonnay from Burgundy. The most famous Chardonnay from this region is Pouilly-Fuissé, produced in the area surrounding the two Macônnais villages of Pouilly and Fuissé. There are additional village designated wines named for their vineyard locations such as Mâcon-Chaintré, Mâcon-Fuissé, Mâcon-Vinzelles, Mâcon-Charnay, Pouilly-Vinzelles, and Saint-Véran. Wines that are labeled Mâcon-Villages are regional wines from a broad area of the Mâcon and are typically blended from several village sites throughout the entire region.

The Rock of Solutré (right) and the Rock of Vergisson
AWM buying trip 2016 on the way to Clos Noly

Saint-Véran

The village of Saint-Véran sits on the southern tip of the Mâcon — split into two sections by the vineyards of Pouilly-Fuissé. There are 680 hectares of vineyard holdings in Saint-Véran, and all are AOC classified. The town produces wines with Mâcon-Villages designation; however, the best production is labeled with the Saint-Véran AOC.

The Manciat Domaine is named after Clos Noly, the oldest vineyard site belonging to the Manciat family. The family’s winery is in the village of Chaintré; however, the family holdings include 23 hectares of vineyards in 5 other villages. The Domaine is meticulously run by 5th generation vigneron Marie-Pierre Manciat and practices sustainable viticulture. Marie-Pierre and the Manciat family are among the last remaining vignerons in the Mâcon to harvest and sort their grapes by hand — again, a quality-driven aspect rarely found in Burgundy at this price.

The Clos Noly Saint-Véran is a terrific way to experience top-quality Chardonnay from the Burgundy region at a very affordable price. 50% of their Saint-Véran is fermented and aged in French oak, providing the wine an extra layer of complexity and plush texture.

Best of all, of course, is what’s in your glass. I love that this wine drinks more like a wine from the Côtes de Beaune — the more expensive neighbor to the north in Burgundy. There’s stunning linearity to this wine that reminds me of Chardonnay from Beaune. The balance of rich, ripe fruit, oak-spice, lively acidity, and mineral underpinning is out of this world.

On the nose, the wine presents notes of white flowers and stone fruits, leading to a rich, rounded palate of peaches and orchard fruit along with just a hint of citrus. There’s a subtly creamy texture that ties it all together, and the lengthy finish is clean and bright. The palate of this wine has a very satisfying weight, yet it remains super clean and balanced.

10 cases of this lovely Burgundy arrived on Friday. I don’t expect this one to last too long, so grab it while we have it.