Viré-Clessé
Styles
Principal grape varieties
Terroir
Natural factors
- Zone situated on a N/S-tilted tectonic fold bringing the entire Jurassic sedimentary sequence (limestones and marls) to the surface.
- Two parallel escarpments: one on Middle Jurassic limestones, the other on Upper Jurassic marly limestones, between 200 and 440 m elevation.
- Superficial formations: clays with chailles on the plateaux, silty clays on the footslopes; soils consistently well drained.
- Degraded oceanic climate, rainfall below 800 mm/year, sheltered from humid influences by the Mâconnais ridges.
- Upwellings of mild southerly airflows via the Rhône corridor; prolonged summer warmth extending into autumn, mean temperature 11 °C.
Human factors
- Traditional pruning known as 'à queue du Mâconnais' (double arch), applied to old vines; young plants trained to a single arch or simple Guyot.
- Chardonnay rose from 70% of plantings in 1970 to 100% twenty years later; communal AOC status granted on 26 February 1999. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
Product characteristics
- Green-gold appearance, aromas of white and yellow flowers, mineral notes and dried fruits; capable of ageing up to ten years and beyond.
- So-called 'levroutés' wines made from botrytised grapes, a tradition documented in Clessé before the phylloxera crisis.
Terroir / wine link
- Limestone hillsides (200–440 m, east-facing): early phenolic ripeness alongside sustained acidity, balancing richness and ensuring age-worthiness.
Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.