Description
Viré-Clessé ‘Pierres Blanches’ comes from vines aged between 6 to 30 years, planted on a mix of clay and limestone soils,with white stones covering the surface. The wine is matured for 18 months in stainless steel tanks (no oak barrels) – the result is a fresh and vibrant wine, with the typical generous Macon fruit flavour, ending with tight mineral notes.
André Bonhomme’s first harvest took place in 1956. He was the first grower in the Mâconnais to bottle and sell his own wine, and was at the origin of the creation of the new Viré-Clessé appellation in 1998.
Today, son-in-law Eric Palthey and André’s daughter Jacqueline are in charge of the 11-ha estate, where their son, Aurélien (Oenologist) is taking centre stage. The viticulture is currently being converted to organic, large amounts of straw is still being dispersed in the vineyard, which helps fighting erosion and acts as a natural fertilizer, sheeps are let roaming in the vineyards, keeping the grass in check. The yields are very small, the grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed, in full, in a pneumatic pressoir. Natural yeasts are used and all parcels are vinified separately before the final assemblage.
