2020 Domaine de la Madone Bourgogne Blanc 'Les Plasses'

100% organic (uncertified) Chardonnay from estate vineyards in Le Perréon on very steep hillsides some 1,600 to 2,000 feet above sea level, some of the highest in the region. Soils are mostly pink decomposed granite, similar to cru Fleurie. The family selects Chardonnay fruit from a north-facing slope called ‘Les Plasses’; this cooler exposition helps retain freshness in the grapes.  Hand-harvested. Fermented on native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Aged on fine lees for 12 months, 85% in tank and 15% in new French oak barrel.

The colour is gold yellow, with a complex nose offering hints of green apple, white fruits, citruses, crushed minerals and a touch of honey. Well balanced with a nice mineral flavor leading the wine to a lovely finish offering a nice saltiness as well as some white fruits and citrusy notes. Definitely has some richness and weight on the palate despite the fairly low alcohol, and doesn’t show its oak as flavor but as texture.

Few estates craft such character-rich, expressive Gamay outside of Beaujolais’ band of “cru” villages.  But that’s Madone’s secret—their vineyards should be rated Beaujolais cru. There are many terroir parallels between the village of Le Perréon and cru Fleurie, a village known for its aromatic and wonderfully elegant Gamay. Brothers Olivier and Bruno Bererd tend almost exclusively older vines, many which are more than 100 years old. The family’s steep hillside vineyards are a challenge to harvest (at an angle of 30 to 40 degrees!); the brothers can’t drive a tractor through their fields, as it’s too dangerous—pickers have to scoot along at severe angles and struggle with a wheelbarrow as grapes are painstakingly collected at harvest.