Perrusset Macon Villages 2013

A few decades ago, in a small, local vigneron hangout in Beaujolais, legendary wine importer Kermit Lynch and Henri Perrusset met rather serendipitously. There weren’t enough tables in the restaurant and the hostess seated Kermit with Henri, who was just finishing up his meal. Their conversation blossomed, and Henri invited Kermit to visit and taste his first vintage. Kermit Lynch has been buying these delicious, distinctive Chardonnays ever since. Henri Perrusset’s vineyards and home are located in the small town of Farges-les-Mâcon, on the northernmost spur of the limestone subsoil that characterizes the appellation of Mâcon. The hard, marly limestone soil in Farges is loaded with quartz and marine fossils; it provides great drainage for the vines and gives the wines their intense minerality. Perrusset’s Chardonnays offer the ripeness and intensity level of a Pouilly-Fuissé or even a Saint-Aubin, with the particular goût de terroir of this corner of Mâcon. Henri is emblematic of a new generation of Mâconnais producers who have coaxed the wines of this southern Burgundy region to new heights, using intensive handwork in the vineyards and low yields to make superb wines. When he’s not tending his vines, Henri tends to his side job as mayor of Farges.