Winemaker Notes
This wine presents an elegant and fruity nose, lifted by fine minerality. On the palate, it is round, rich, and fresh, offering excellent balance. Flavors of luscious honey and citrus are layered with subtle hints of butter, leading to a deliciously citrus-driven finish. Ideal pairings include veal stew (blanquette de veau) and Vacherin cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Saint-Véran Les Crèches has a little more mineral drive compared to the En Pommard cuvée this year. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry with citrus lemon, lime and a touch of flintiness surfacing on the finish. Worth seeking out.
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.