Friday we spent the morning tasting in the Maconnais. This sub-region at Burgundy’s southern end is impossibly picturesque – quaint stone farmhouses and Charolais cattle dot a rolling countryside that lazily switches between lush green pastures and fields of vines. The wines coming from this region have never been better, and we’re thrilled to have expanded our portfolio here in the last few years.
One shining star form this region is a family in Viré-Clessé firmly to organic and biodynamic principles since before it was trendy. We discovered these folks decades ago when we lived in the area, bought this wine enthusiastically for many years on behalf of friends and family. A national US importer limited our distribution of their wine, and about a decade ago we stopped importing it – but have missed it ever since.
Today we’re delighted that we are now able to offer the results of this superb winemaking under a private label: “Forces Telluriques.” The excellent 2021 will be out in a Futures offer later this year; but the current vintage 2020 in our stock is outstanding.
In recent years the domaine has won praise from today’s top writers. The Wine Advocate’s William Kelley writes of the wine’s “remarkable concentration and energy.” Jasper Morris MW calls them “brilliant… refined, pure, complex, lush.” Raised exclusively en cuve (no oak), it’s an exquisite expression of pure chardonnay.
The 2020 Forces Tellurique Viré-Clessé’s nose is extraordinary, hitting high notes and low notes simultaneously in a symphony of fruit and earth. We find notes yellow orchard fruit and notes of tangerine and honey. The mouth is expansive and rich, but with pulsating energy and exquisite balance, with a finish that would outlast many a Meursault.
Reviewing the 2020 under its primary label, Kelley awarded 93+ points, calling it “another terrific wine from this address,” and finding “white flowers, crisp melon and orchard fruit,” with “satiny and layered palate that’s racy and precise.” Jasper Morris MW was similarly impressed, predicting the 2020 might “join the very top vintages of the domaine.”
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Forces Telluriques Viré-Clessé 2020
bottle price: $35
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES