The Touzot family domaine is located in the northernmost part of the Macon region, just south of the Cotes Chalonnaise. The 10 hectares of vineyards, in the commune of Martailly les Brancion, next to Mancey and Tournus, are planted half with Pinot Noir (for Bourgogne Rouge) and Gamay (for Macon Rouge) and half with Chardonnay. The Chardonnay is planted on slopes at an average altitude of 200 meters with clay-limestone soils. The vines average 30 years of age, making for a more concentrated and complex wine. The grapes are 100% hand harvested and quickly pressed in a state of the art bladder press, in order to extract all the fruit and aromas while avoiding any bitterness. Touzot ferments the juice in temperature controlled, stainless steel cuves. The wine is bottled in May, and released for sale after four months of bottle age.

Jean Touzot’s Macon Villages is a text book example: a lively bouquet of green apples and flowers (acacia is notable) and good, crisp persistent, juicy green apple and melon Chardonnay fruit. It is the perfect all-purpose white wine, served chilled but not ice-cold. This wine goes particularly well with lighter fish and fowl dishes, shrimp and crab, cold meats, and is also a perfect aperitif. The Touzot Macon Villages represents outstanding value in Chardonnay.

The potential of the Touzot estate was already recognized in June 1996, when the Revue du Vin de France acclaimed the Touzot Macon Villages: “at last a wine with fine acidity, with a lively expression of terroir and of fruit, which departs from the general surrounding mediocrity” (enfin un vin de belle acidite, avec une expression vive du terroir, et du grain, et qui sort de la mediocrite ambiante.” )