Viré-Clessé became an appellation in its own right from the 1998 vintage, coupling two of the best terroirs among the Macon Villages.
This appellation deserves to be better known. There are some beautifully satisfying white wines to originating from its vineyards, especially when made by the talented Bret Brothers duo.
Coming from 60-year-old-plus vines, this was harvested not overly late in order to avoid the ultraripe, honeyed style of Viré-Clessé. Indeed, the nose is bright and balanced. On the palate there is yellow fruit – a huge volume of it – yet with a crisp, crunchy finish.
The 2014 wines were all bottled just before the 2015 harvest using Diam10 corks, and the crus – such as Viré-Clessé – have a slightly different label (effectively the same as those for the other Mâconnais wines but with the colours inverted). Dominique thinks that 2014 is not only an excellent vintage, but also remarkably consistent for every part of the Mâconnais. The entire range is a joy this year.
The 2014 wines were all bottled just before the 2015 harvest using Diam10 corks, and the crus – such as Viré-Clessé – have a slightly different label (effectively the same as those for the other Mâconnais wines but with the colours inverted). Dominique thinks that 2014 is not only an excellent vintage, but also remarkably consistent for every part of the Mâconnais. The entire range is a joy this year.