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Biodynamic. This steep vineyard is the cradle of the Soufrandière estate and one of Mâcon’s most significant sites. Ploughed mostly by horse and farmed biodynamically since 2001, it produces the Bret brothers’ most profound wines. The Bajocian-era limestone soils are high in calcium carbonate and quartz and rich in iron (giving the rock an ochre tint). There is also some granitic influence. Most of the vineyard sits on soil only 20 to 30cm deep before the roots hit the mother rock. In some sections, the topsoil can be scraped aside by hand to reveal the bare limestone. When matched with the appropriate viticulture, this results in wines with the mineral clout to cut through even the ripest, juiciest fruit.
What we love about this wine is that it’s so proudly Mâconnais—with layers of textured, voluminous fruit—yet it is also incredibly precise, with the poise, length and mineral freshness of the best Côte de Beaune whites. It helps that the mass-selection vines are aged between 50 and 80 years (with younger vine material at the site declassified into the straight Pouilly-Vinzelles).