The Mâconnais, a less prestigious part of Burgundy south of the well-heeled Côte d’Or, is the place to find superb Chardonnay-based wines. When the wine come from a single village, such as Bussières or Lugny to name just two, the village name can appear on the label instead of the more generic, Mâcon-Villages. The magic of the Mâconnais, like the rest of Burgundy, is that the wines from nearby villages made from the same grape and by the same producer taste different — what the French call terroir. Take this delectable Macon Bussières, which is a little rounder and richer than Rijckaert’s Mâcon Lugny Les Crays because the soil is less rocky with slightly more clay. The Macon Bussières adds a touch of fruitiness to its minerality without losing any freshness. Another fine choice for summer!
Domaine Rijckaert, Macon Bussières (Burgundy, France) 2022
By Michael Apstein