Viré-Clessé

The Viré-Clessé appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) is a village appellation in the Mâconnais region of Saône-et-Loire. Created by a decree dated February 26, 1999, this appellation replaces the former Mâcon-Clessé and Mâcon-Viré appellations for white wines. The Viré-Clessé wine production area is limited to the communes of Clessé, Laizé, Monbellet, and Viré.

The Viré-Clessé terroir lies on two north-south slopes, bordered by the Bourbonne and Mouge valleys. They are composed of Bajocian limestone with entroques and Oxfordian (Jurassic) marl-limestone strata. Other soils at the bottom of the slopes are made up of clay with "chailles" (sandstone pebbles), exposed to the east and well-drained. The "cray," a type of Mâconnais limestone soil with white pebbles, is found here. It is undoubtedly the best for Chardonnay. The Viré-Clessé vineyards are planted at an altitude of between 200 and 440 meters.

The Viré-Clessé appellation produces exclusively white wines from the Chardonnay grape variety, the most widely grown white grape in Burgundy. The pale gold color illuminates the robe of Viré-Clessé wines. Lively and fresh, slightly sharp yet full-bodied, they offer finesse and suppleness, with a tender and spontaneous character. These qualities are perfectly reflected in the wines of Domaine Chanson Père et Fils and Domaine La Soufrandière.