Mâcon-Igé
Château London 2021
A bottle of Mâcon contains a big smile from the south of Burgundy. It has a southern feel to it, as do the Roman tiles that top the flat roofs…
Origin
After a short interruption south of the Côte Chalonnaise, vineyards reappear around the town of Tournus. This region is a great producer of primarily white wines. One out of three bottles of white Burgundy comes from the Mâconnais!
Château London is not a brand name, but a vineyard whose name refers to the fact that its original owner lived in rue Landon in Paris. Over time, “Landon” became “London”.
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay & muscat chardonnay
Soils: chalky white limestone
Orientation: South-West
Surface area under vine: 2.72 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 30 hL/ha
Average age of the vine: 38 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 26 September 2021.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: the whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to barrels (demi-muids) with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 13 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality. A proportion of 36% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: the wine was bentonite fined and very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in December 2022.
Number of bottles: 6,594.
Vintage
A complex vintage!
It is both a winegrower and winemaker’s vintage ! 2021 will unfortunately be remembered quantity-wise for a long time by its disastrous frost early april. Direct consequence: this is probably one of the smallest vintages ever in Burgundy . It offers a very nice and subtle representation of each terroir and its expression, with fruity, freshness and great finesse wines.
Ageing potential: from 3 to 5 years.
Tasting notes
The colour is pale yellow. The intense nose will seduce you with its aromas of exotic fruits associated with floral notes. On the palate, this wine is fresh with a slight fatness that gives it a nice greediness!