Fresh, elegant and pure, this red boasts cherry, black currant, mineral and spice aromas and flavors. Vibrant but well-structured, with tension and a resonant finish. Best from 2012 through 2018. 375 cases imported. Rated 90. ‑BS, Wine Spectator

The lovely village of Saint-Vérand (note the different spelling) is located half-hidden amongst the hills in the Mâconnais region of southern Burgundy, between Pouilly-Fuissé and the Beaujolais. Its Jurassic chalky soils are a continuation of the limestone strata found in the Côte d'Or and are ideal for growing Chardonnay grapes. Harvested by hand the grapes are immediately and gently pressed, then passed into stainless steel to undergo a slow and cool fermentation. The wine is bottled the following spring to retain its inherent freshness, fruitiness and roundness. Green-gold in color with discreet and pure Chardonnay aromas suggesting flesh of crisp green apple, citrus and stone; fine, elegant Chardonnay flavors are refreshingly crisp and mineral, but at the same time broadening on the tongue, becoming more sumptuous and satisfying, delivering a nice wallop of excellent dry white Burgundy wine for the price of mere everyday Chardonnay.

There is a certain chic about Chardonnay. Among white wine grapes, it is certainly the most well-travelled, it is planted to some of the finest soils in some of the finest wine-growing areas, and it arguably produces among the rarest, finest and (the proof is often in the price) most expensive wines on the planet. But then, thankfully, there is still to be found a modicum of sanity in the world of wine. We've recently discovered a rather down-home version of Chardonnay - down-home, in that this is Chardonnay from Chardonnay, the village of Chardonnay, that is, what may well be the very birthplace of the grape in southern Burgundy. This 2007 Mâcon-Chardonnay de Chardonnay is produced at the nearby Cave de Lugny. Like it comes from where it belongs, it speaks easily of the place and the grape, comfortable in its own skin, with tell-tale notions of citrus and cerfeuil and limestone, cool and crisp with bursting fruit flavor that refreshes and reverberates long on the tongue. Get your down-home workin'! Get this wine!

The "Les Charmes" vineyard near the village of Lugny in the Mâconnais region of southern Burgundy is prized for its exceptional southern exposure and for the age of its vines, averaging some 40 years of age on the whole. Around here, we prize its production as among the surest of bets for value in white wine. Vinified entirely in stainless steel and bottled sans bois, that is, unlumbered, 100% unencumbered by oak, at the nearby Cave de Lugny; green-gold in color, the wine is fresh and vibrant with aromas that would suggest hazelnut, citrus flower and acacia honeys on a foundation of refreshing summer rains on limestone; medium-bodied, ample in weight, with a clean, crisp and lasting flavor on the finish. Given the consistently excellent quality and its extremely fair price, it’s not much wonder that Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes Chardonnay is the best-selling white Burgundy in the United States!