The Maconnais continues to be undefeated as a source of bang-for-buck white Burgundy. The wines here have never been better, while the secret is out about its value, the prices have yet to catch up. As evidence, we submit Sebastien Giroux, who farms a tiny 6-hectare estate essentially by himself. His disciplined, organic winemaking results in extraordinary wines – William Kelley describes them as “supple, pure and charming.”
Sebastien refuses to be rushed into bottling any of his wines on a rigid schedule, and when he believes a wine will benefit from more elevage, he waits. Many winemakers are releasing their 2025s these days; Sebastian has just released his 2023 Macon-Fuissé. Giving a $29 wine this amount of elevage is unheard of, but the results speak for themselves.
When the original lines of the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation were drawn last century, the Vers Chanes plot was forest. Today most locals agree the since-cleared land would rank inside the appellation if the lines were redrawn. Lucky for us – today it remains a Macon-Fuissé, an overperforming terroir with a less famous name.
The wine itself is exquisite – unoaked Chardonnay with precise, linear focus amid a fleshy, delicious palate. The nose calls to mind the golden lushness of Pouilly-Fuissé, but without the oak to obscure the gorgeous fruit. The mouth is lithe and precise, with chiseled minerality beneath the apple blossom and apricot notes. Sub-$30 white Burgundy is on its way to becoming a thing of the past. Giroux’s Macon-Fuissé is proof the genre remains.
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Giroux Mâcon-Fuissé “Vers Chanes” 2023
bottle price: $29
