Verget Mâcon-Villages Vallons de Lamartine 2020 750ml

The ‘Valley of Lamartine’ is named after Mâcon native Alphonse de Lamartine, a French author, poet and statesman who was instrumental in the foundation of the French Second Republic. Now you know. The 2020 is a blend from Vire (40%), Pierreclos (20%), Bussieres (20%) and Vergisson (20%), all vinified in used oak barrels. Guffens ages this wine for 12 months on lees to emphasise the salinity of his rocky soils.

There’s enticing aromas of white peach, beach grass and floral notes leading to a layered, textured palate threaded with sappy freshness and a chalky, savoury complexity that works so well with the Burgundian amplitude on offer. It’s a delicious value wine, with impressive bang-for-your-buck intensity and drive, closing with a salty, lees-enriched finish.