Daniel & Julien Barraud St-Veran Arpege 2017
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Robert
Parker
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Winemaker Notes
This pure, mineral expression of Chardonnay delivers notes of crushed stones, hints of chalk, and laser cut precision.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aromas of green apple, pear, wheat toast and white flowers introduce the 2017 Saint Veran Arpège, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and open-knit wine that's charming, expressive and flavorful. From two parcels of vines on relatively clay-rich soils, this is raised half in barrel, half in tank.
"Daniel Barraud is without question one of the finest growers in all of the Mâconnais and there is a credible argument to be made that his remarkable consistency vaults him right to the very top of the list … this man almost never misses." --Alan Meadows, Burghound
Domaine Daniel et Julien Barraud is not only the source of Vergisson’s finest organic wines but also sets the standard for world-class white Burgundy from the Maconnais. The petit hamlet of Vergisson, with its high-altitude vineyards, is where the region’s finest wines are made.
The history of the Barraud family began in 1905. Jean-Marie Barraud, a sharecropper, installed himself in the village of Vergisson, in the Maconnais. He saved his earnings until in 1912, he was able to purchase vineyard land, the first parcels of the future Domaine Barraud.
Toward the end of the 1930s, the estate's second generation was bottling their own wines on the property, with the first wine from the legendary 'Les Crays' vineyard appearing in 1947.
In the 1970s, wines from the Maconnais were slowly being discovered by the wider world, both for their high quality and serious value when compared to white Burgundy from the Cote d'Or.
Winemaker Daniel Barraud -- the family's fourth generation -- and his wife Martine today are widely held as one of the top winemaking families in the region. Their son, Julien, began working at the domaine in 2006.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Occupying vineyards to the west and south of the village of Mâcon, the appellation of St-Véran interweaves with Pouilly-Fuissé, overlapping both the Mâconnais and Beaujolais. St-Véran includes a lot of what was once sold as Beaujolais Blanc. Grown on limestone, St-Véran whites' ageability and power fall somewhere in between the wines of Mâcon-Villages and Pouilly-Fuissé.
After subtle aromas of lemon, apricot, acacia and honeysuckle, on the palate a St-Véran (always made of Chardonnay) shows fresh focus and clarity while exhibiting roundness and harmonious balance. A great St-Véran will express notes of almond, hazelnut, cinnamon, butter or toast and sometimes an exotic twist of orange peel. Seafood risotto or pasta with mushrooms are perfect pairings.