The
three generation Touzot family domaine is located in the northernmost
part of the Macon region, just south of the Cotes Chalonnaise.
Their 12 hectares of vineyards, in the commune of Martaily les
Brancion, near Tournus, are planted half with Pinot Noir (for Bourgogne
Rouge) and Gamay (for Macon Rouge) and half with Chardonnay. The
Chardonnay is planted on several perfectly exposed slopes at an average
altitude of 200 meters with ideal clay-limestone soils. Recently the
Touzots have added the 3 hectare Les Parettes vineyard, which has an
ideal, due- south exposure and a thin layer of stony, heat-retaining
soil over a bed of limestone. 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 April.
Jean’s
son Frederic took over management of the family domaine in 2002, after
graduating from the Lycee Viticole in Macon and completing a stage in South Africa. He dedicated
himself to moving the domaine’s viticultural practice to sustainability. He
ended systematic vineyard treatments, and now only carries out treatments when
absolutely necessary. He discontinued the use of herbicides and now regularly
plows the soil to ensure its healthy state and encourage the vines’ roots to go
deep into the limestone subsoil. Frederic Touzot believes careful pruning in
the winter, leaf stripping, and bunch thinning in abundant years makes for a
naturally healthy ambiance and enhances the quality of his wine. He uses
organic fertilizers only when deemed necessary by tests of the soils. Touzot
observes that his grapes are now both healthier and riper at harvest time.
Environmentally friendly practices are also used inside the winery, such as the
recycling and later purification of rinse water before it is drained away. “I
try to be more observant and attentive to the needs of vineyard,” explains
Frederic, “rather than habitually using the same practices every year. By
respecting nature, I better understand my profession.”
JeanTouzot’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.” )
