DOMAINE BARRAUD MÂCON-VERGISSON la ROCHE 2023

A very fine Chardonnay from a special value spot in Burgundy's Macon region. High on the craggy limestone outcrop of Vergisson, this "La Roche" terroir and vineyard is known for top-rated plots that can be bottled as expensive Pouilly Fuisse. But just around this famous slope, the 40+ year old vines that supply this label from the Barraud family must be given the humble name "Macon", because they lie in a spot where the slope's south-easterly aspect — which avoids the harshest afternoon sun — curves even a little further round to the north. The delicious result is a slow-ripened wine of remarkable elegance and depth, in which bright lemon citrus flavours retain a sense of minerality and poise far above the wine's modest price point.

Reviews for previous vintages below…

93/100 Charles Curtis MW, Decanter (2020 vintage)
"Domaine Barraud has produced here a lovely, lemony 2020 that is not lacking richness while maintaining a thrilling freshness. The lieu-dit Sur la Roche stretches around the Roche de Vergisson, covering three levels of appellation: Pouilly-Fuissé premier cru on the lower, southeast facing slopes, village-level Pouilly-Fuissé above this, and regional Mâcon-Vergisson as the hill wraps around to face northeast. However, it is precisely here that one will find the most chiseled, mineral expressions of Chardonnay in a hot year."