Moving On Up: Mâconnais 2021 & 2022

BY NEAL MARTIN | AUGUST 17, 2023

Introduction

Dumbstruck by the insult, the winemaker stands motionless, mouth agape, lost for words…

It is the 1990s and the day of the pre-auction tasting of barrel samples due to be auctioned by the Hospice de Beaune. Anticipation is rife as tasters congregate and exchange views on the wines. Among the number is winemaker Dominique Cornin. Under his aegis are five parcels of 35- to 90-year-old vines around the village of Chaintré, the source for the Hospice’s sole representation from Mâconnais, a Pouilly-Fuissé gifted by Françoise Poisard in 1994 (and again in 2012).

Inexplicably, the reds are poured before the whites.

Complicating matters further, attendees are given a single glass, which begs the question: how will the glasses be cleaned after those tannic reds?

The advice given by organizers is to rinse them not with water but with the Pouilly-Fuissé.

What a slur against Pouilly-Fuissé and Mâconnais, an attack against the dignity of Cornin and his fellow vignerons. It testifies to the low esteem towards the Mâconnais, indicative of how cognoscenti viewed the region at that time. This anecdote, related by Cornin’s son Romain during my visit, elucidates the region’s strides since then. The quality of Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon, Saint-Véran and Viré-Clessé is being recognized by increasing numbers of oenophiles, not least legions priced out of the Côte d’Or. The long-fought for and ultimately successful application for Premier Cru status apropos Pouilly-Fuissé validates its status as a region whose wines can rank amongst the best in Burgundy. If you are yet to discover the joys of Mâconnais, you’re missing out.