Winemaker Notes
It is mineral on the palate, gives off freshness, the terroir of the commune of Chardonnay being slightly different from those of the commune of Uchizy in the clay-limestone proportion.
It is rare to find domaine-bottled wines in this part of the region, as the production is dominated by coops. Talmard exercises complete control over all facets of viticulture, winemaking, and bottling at the estate, reducing yields, harvesting early to preserve freshness, and bottling the wine with his own state-of-the-art bottling line. The result is one of the very finest examples of the fresh, appealing style of Chardonnay grown in rolling limestone hills of the Mâconnais.
This father and son estate produces one utterly perfect wine: a pure and refreshing Chardonnay, from the birthplace of the Chardonnay grape.
Founded in 1958 by two brothers, fruit was originally sold to the local co-op. In 1978 the brothers started to domain bottle and export. At the turn of the millenium, with children on each side of the family, the brothers divided the domaine. Today, Gerald Talmard runs the property, overseeing the 49 acres of vineyards that lie predominantly within the commune of Chardonnay – thought to be the geographical origin of the variety, and thus entitled to use the AOC “Mâcon-Chardonnay.”
Gerald has also built a new cellar next to the original one, modern and efficient, and dedicated to the production of a single wine. Grapes are picked fairly early to maintain good acidity, and the wine is fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel.
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.
These are the fun, fruit-driven and lively Chardonnays of white Burgundy, often offering some fantastic values and options that you don’t have to cellar. Flavors range from fresh green apple and lemon to melon or pineapple; some of the best are fleshy and mineral driven or balanced by a light touch of oak.
Mâconnais Chardonnay may have the weight of their more serious Côte de Beaune sisters, but not quite the refinement. Still, this appellation is one of the best ways to jump from California Chardonnay to something new and begin to understand white Burgundy.
The Mâconnais region is warmer and drier than the rest of Burgundy to its north (Côte d’Or) and has a landscape of rolling hills and farmland interspersed among vineyards. The region produces a lot of Chardonnay—Viré-Clessé and Pouilly-Fuisse are among the best—and a very small amount of red wine from Gamay and Pinot Noir. The soils of Mâconnais remain limestone dominant like in the Côte d’Or, making it a wonderful spot for Chardonnay to thrive. Gamay's home of Beaujolais lies just to the south.