Macon Wine

"Les Charmes" is the flagship bottling of Cave de Lugny, which owns more than 95% of the vineyards in the Mâcon-Lugny appellation. It is made exclusively from old vine Chardonnay from the 195 acre Les Charmes vineyard, the crown jewel of its vast holdings. The voluptuous structure and spicy flavor of Les Charmes is attributed to the rare "Musk clone" Chardonnay, which makes up most of the vineyard. The just-released 2011 Les Charmes is a worthy successor to the excellent 2010. It offers notes of tropical fruit, spicy yellow apple, and honeysuckle, with excellent acidity. Although the wine sees no oak aging, gentle lees stirring provides a creamy richness reminiscent of a more expensive Cote de Beaune. Les Charmes offers significant aging ability of 2 to 4 years.

Whether you are a White Burgundy lover on a budget, or just someone looking for a great house white for everyday imbibing or for parties/weddings/social functions, Cave de Lugny Macon-Villages "La Cote Blanche" is as close to a no-brainer as anything I've ever come across. Despite the absurdly low price, it gives me the sophistication I look for in $25 White Burgundies – nervy, energetic fruit, subtle minerality, and, most elusively of all, the sheer joie de vivre that only well-made White Burgundy can convey. A virtual clone of the 2010 vintage, named Decanter’s #1 Chardonnay under $15, the 2011 "La Cote Blanche" offers up fresh, Chablis-like mineral, yellow fruit and floral notes, followed on the palate, by light, bright, flavors of fresh cut apple, pear, and white flowers. Completely unoaked, it has a sneaky intensity of flavor that persists right through to the energetic finish.
-- Ben Giliberti, CW Director of Wine Education

This sampler includes one bottle each of the following wines:

2011 Cave de Lugny - Mâcon-Villages La Côte Blanche ($9.99 on sale; reg., $11.99)

2011 Cave de Lugny - Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes ($13.99 on sale; reg., $16.99)

2011 Manciat-Poncet - Mâcon-Charnay Les Chênes ($13.99 on sale; reg., $15.99)

2011 Remoissenet - Mâcon-Villages ($12.99 on sale; reg., $14.99)

A soft, yet also mineral-textured wine. Its lemon and grapefruit flavors are crisp, reflecting the taut structure of the vintage. A fresh wine, with a crisp finish, ready to drink.

The village of Charnay is located just outside of the prestigious Pouilly-Fuissé appellation, and the wines are similar, at a fraction of the price. Domaine Manciat-Poncet is regarded as one of Charnay's top producers. All grapes are hand harvested, and yields are carefully monitored, averaging 30% below the allowable limit. The old-vines Chardonnay used in this bottling come from a select five-acre plot in the best part of the appellation. Grapes are fermented exclusively in stainless steel tanks, yielding a wine that is creamy (due to the old vines) as well as crisp and strikingly vibrant (due to the avoidance of oak). Very stylish.

The venerable Burgundy house of Remoissenet was brought back to life by native Washingtonian Pierre Rovani, who put down his pen as Wine Advocate’s Burgundy critic to take up his dream of making great Burgundy in the Côte d'Or. A true believer in the quality potential of the Mâconnais, Pierre applies the same meticulous winemaking standards to his Mâcon as to his wines from the Côte d'Or. This wine is soft, juicy, and rich, with notes of apricot, peach, and yellow apple wrapped around the crisp, fresh acidity of the excellent 2011 vintage.