Viré-Clessé

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area of the Viré-Clessé appellation extends over the eastern slope of one of the easternmost ridges of the “Monts du Mâconnais”, a tilted tectonic structure elongated north/south parallel to the Bresse trench.
• The plots lie on two parallel “côtes” oriented north/south, between 200 and 440 metres in altitude, one on Middle Jurassic limestones, the other on marl-limestone substrates of the Upper Jurassic.
• The bedrock is frequently masked by clays with “chailles” on the terraces of the main “côte”, or by clay-loam at the foot of the slope and on the marl-limestone formations.
• The geographical area of the Viré-Clessé appellation is bounded to the north and south by two substantial valleys that interrupt the ridge, the Bourbonne and the Mouge, and shows topographic and climatic homogeneity.
• The geographical area of the Viré-Clessé appellation benefits from a degraded oceanic climate with clear southern influences, partly protected from humid oceanic influences by the Mâconnais ridges and crossed by inflows of mild southern air via the Rhône corridor.
• Annual rainfall, evenly distributed across the year, is below 800 millimetres and moderate during the vine's growing season, with an average annual temperature of 11°C.
• The geographical area of the Viré-Clessé appellation covers the territory of 4 communes in the Saône-et-Loire department, about ten kilometres northwest of the town of Mâcon.

• The wines produced in Viré and Clessé were first recognised within the regional Mâcon appellation in 1937, before obtaining the communal AOC Viré-Clessé on 26 February 1999.
• Chardonnay, the almost sole grape variety of the appellation, is traditionally pruned using the method known as “taille à queue du Mâconnais”, a double-arched system, on old vines.
• The share of Chardonnay in the vine plantings rose from 70% in 1970 to nearly all plantings twenty years later.

• The dry white wine shows a green-gold colour with aromas of white and yellow flowers accompanied by mineral notes, enhanced by notes of dried fruit.
• The dry white wine retains its qualities after several years of ageing, up to 10 years and more.
• Grapes affected by noble rot (botrytis cinerea) in certain sectors of the plot area are locally called “levroûtés”, a term recorded by the writer and historian Emile Viollet (1877-1964), notably in the commune of Clessé, well before the phylloxera crisis.
• The “Levrouté” wine shows a yellow-gold colour with aromas of ripe and candied fruit, honeyed notes combined with floral aromas, and good persistence on the palate thanks to its tangy notes.

• Easterly exposure, altitude ranging from 200 to 440 metres and soils with good water regulation linked to the limestone substratum, together with the geographical area's particular mesoclimate, favour optimal ripeness and early phenolic maturity while maintaining substantial acidity.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Viré-Clessé complété par une dénomination de climat AOC (PDO)

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 27 juillet 2026, JORF 30 juillet 2026
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — BIVB