Half bottle of Mâcon-Villages, Domaine Mallory et Benjamin Talmard 2023

The Talmard family name has been involved in wine production since the 17th century, and it was the current generation’s grandfather, Joseph, that planted some of the current Talmard vineyards at the family’s home base Uchizy.

Joseph’s son Paul Talmard led the next generation. He used to deliver his grapes to the local co-opérative at Chardonnay, but in 1971 he withdrew, believing he could make better wine under his own domaine name. His wines went from strength to strength, and in 1997 he appointed his daughter Mallory and her husband Benjamin as chief winemakers. They have taken full control in recent years, and continue to run the winery with Paul’s philosophy and values.

They now have over 27ha of vineyards. The majority is in Uchizy, but they also have significant quantities in Montbellet, Chardonnay, Tournus, and Farges-lès-Mâcon. The vineyards are handled with the utmost care – Mallory and Benjamin know that perfect maturity equals perfect concentration, so they play close attention to the ripening of the grapes.

Many of the vineyards are planted on well-exposed slopes, which moderate yields and maximise ripening potential. When they are confident the grapes have reached their ideal ripeness, they use machine-harvesting for ultimate flexibility, and even harvest at night during particularly hot vintages to conserve the quality of the grapes.

The grapes are pressed, clarified, and then cool-fermented in stainless-steel tanks and kept on their lees for two to four months. In the spring following the vintage, after chilling and filtration, the wines are bottled as quickly as possible so they have time to develop. Talmard wines are a brilliant example of the ripe, round style of unoaked chardonnay the Mâconnais has to offer.