2020 Mâcon-Vinzelles, Clos de Grand-Père, La Soufrandière, Bret Brothers, Burgundy

2020 Mâcon-Vinzelles, Clos de Grand-Père, La Soufrandière, Bret Brothers, Burgundy

Product: 20201528233
Prices start from £26.95 per bottle (75cl). Buying options
2020 Mâcon-Vinzelles, Clos de Grand-Père, La Soufrandière, Bret Brothers, Burgundy

Buying options

Available for delivery or collection. Pricing includes duty and VAT.

Description

This charming wine harks from a single hectare of vines planted by the Bret brothers’ grandfather. He found a small outcrop of hard limestone at the bottom of the Pouilly-Vinzelles slope, right in the middle of the village. The nose boasts concentrated yellow orchard fruit and ripe citrus, while a little floral character adds elegance.

There is a delightfully chalky texture, while the mouth-feel is round and soft. It is all balanced perfectly with acidity, making this wine superbly fresh. This is a perfect example of the gorgeous 2020 vintage.

Drink now - 2026

Victoria Bull, Junior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (September 2024)

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews

Burghound88-90/100

From a .99 ha holding

A mild touch of reduction shaves the top notes and blurs the nuance of the ripe white orchard fruit-scented nose. The racy and almost painfully intense middle-weight flavours are not nearly as dense, but there is good minerality on the refreshing and chiselled finish that reflects a touch of bitter citrus zest.

Drink from 2024 onward

Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (October 2021)

Read more

About this WINE

Bret Bros.

Bret Bros.

Grandfather Bret bought this property in Vinzelles in 1947. In 2000 Jean-Philippe and Jean-Guillaume Bret took their vineyards out of the local co-operative and established their Domaine de la Soufrandière (see here for the wine selection from la Soufrandière) with 4 hectares of vines entirely in the appellation of Pouilly Vinzelles. They have also developed a negociant activity using the name Bret Brothers.

Previous experience between them includes stages at Ridge and Newton in California and Comte Lafon in Burgundy. Most of their vines are in a perfectly situated east facing slope of Vinzelles called Les Quarts, on Bajocian limestone with a high silica/quartz content.

The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2000, with biodynamic principles being progressively introduced. The grapes, both their own and those purchased, are picked in small containers, then whole bunch pressed in the tinailler (local Maconnais and Beaujolais word for cuverie) before descending by gravity to the barrel cellar. They are currently all taken out of barrel for bottling after 11 months.

Find out more
Mâcon

Mâcon

The city of Mâcon represents the capital of the Mâconnais district in the region of Burgundy, to which it lends its name. There are various appellations under the name Mâcon: the generic Mâcon AC, Mâcon Supérieur and the Mâcon-Villages, in ascending order of how much land each appellation entails.

The standard Mâcon AC controls around 53 hectares of vineyard, 70 percent of which is used to produce just white wine, primarily from the Chardonnay grape. Mâcon used to be recognised for its red wines, but in the last century Mâconnais whites have come to the forefront far more. This generic appellation represents a specific style of wine made across the Mâconnais district, rather than an appellation which would cover a select area or terroir.

The ‘Supérieur’ in Mâcon Supérieur refers not to an increase in quality but rather to the boost in alcohol content, a term which can be applied to either red or white wines.

Mâcon-Villages is a specific appellation which refers to white wines produced in certain areas of the Mâconnais region, and usually denotes an improvement in quality over the straightforward Mâcon AC wines.

Many of the small communes under the Mâcon classification opt to add their name to that of the appellation on their wines; notable examples include La Roche Vineuse, Uchizy and Lugny.

Wines from Mâcon tend to be uncomplicated affairs, simple but enjoyable, and the whites in particular are notable for their dry, light bodies and the presence of floral and nutty facets.

Find out more
Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.

Find out more