Domaine Des Valanges

The commune of Davayé is located in the southern part of Burgundy, in the heart of the Mâcon wine country near Cluny and west of Mâcon. This small winegrowing village is nestled at the foot of the Roche de Solutré and the Roche de Vergisson.

The beautiful view of steep slopes from Les Valanges is like a picture post card of the Mâcon region.

The domaine was created in 1980 with the purchase of 2.5 ha in the commune of Davayé but for the past 27 years, however, several plots were acquired and the estate was expanded to its actual size of 11 ha of which 8 ha are in the heart of the St Véran appellation.

The vineyards are located halfway up the slope at an altitude of 600-700 feet in well established “climats”, or vineyard sites, that are among the best in the Mâcon region.

Sun exposure is south by south-east and the soil in all instances clay-limestone (mostly limestone).

This terroir is wonderful for Chardonnay, producing very expressive, mineral, floral wines with a great deal of fruit.

Michel has always been passionately attached to this land, faithful and committed to making unique wines from the limestone soil.

Philosophy

Farming practices are reasonable and pest control based on observation, reflection, respect for the terroir and environmental protection.

 The soil is kept healthy and alive by ploughing and adding organic fertiliser when necessary and chemical sprays used as sparingly as possible.

The grapes are machine harvested and kept separate from any juice that is released during transport to avoid oxidation.

The fruit is gently pressed in a pneumatic winepress and the must is cold settled for approximately 12 hours.

Once the juice has been cold settled, it is put directly into vat. Alcoholic fermentation is kept at a temperature of 18-22 degrees Celsius and lasts for three to four weeks. The malolactic fermentation takes place over the following months. The wine then is aged on its lees until racking in the March.

Three wines are partially fermented in barrel:

The St Véran Hors-Classe, an older vines cuvée, The St Véran les Cras and the Pouilly Fuissé villages. The grape must goes directly into barrels (10% new every year) for both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. The wine is then aged on its lees and stirred (bâtonnage) for about 9 months, depending on the vintage.

A final blend of both the wine aged in vat and that aged in barrel is made prior to bottling. The wines are then fined if necessary, and lightly filtered before bottling to retain their freshness and aromas.

The Mâcon wines are light, crisp, fresh, fruity, and floral.

The St-Véran wines have a refined personality and are more opulent on the palate.

The Pouilly-Fuissé combine structure and elegance with a mineral taste due to the terroir in Solutré. It shows best after several years, displaying all the subtlety of a lovely Burgundy.