Like many vignerons in the area, Monsieur Dondin also raises cattle. His current herd includes 16 cows and he economically uses their manure to fertilize his vines. The fields where they graze have wonderful views of the local châteaux and nearby mountains. Like his vines, the cattle are part of his family. If you ask him to sell you one of his calves the answer will be telling. If he likes you he will answer no, as he does not wish to know the person who eats his calves.

Wines  Éric's pale yellow Mâcon Bussières combines a nose of minerals, quartz and faint apple blossoms with a medium body and crisp, tart finish. This well balanced wine pairs well with any butter or cream sauce based dish and can also make a wonderful aperitif. With its crisp character, it can also pair well with moderately spicy Thai or Indian food.

 
Vineyards  The Mâcon Bussières vineyard is located less than 1 km south of the village of Bussières on a gentle, southern facing slope that leads down to a the small stream la petite Crosne. The vineyard is directly north of the famous Roche de Vergisson, a rocky crag that marks the northern end of the Pouilly Fuissé. The chardonnay vines are spaced about 1 meter apart and trained in the Cordon de Royat method. The vines are lovingly managed in a very natural manner by a husband and wife team. Manure is the only fertilizer used.

Terroir  The village of Bussières is located in the southern Mâconnais region roughly 15 km west of Mâcon. The region marks the end of the limestone soil typical of Burgundy. The bedrock is composed of Jurassic strata in the north, which transitions to Hercynian bedrock in the south. The rocky crags of Vergisson and the Solutré are inspiring examples of very erosion resistant Jurassic strata. The climate is temperate with the exception of the very cold February and a typical hot July and August. There is an average annual rainfall of 800mm.

The Mâconnais  Like all of Burgundy, wine has long been an integral and shaping force in the history of the Mâconnais. The first written mention of Mâconnais wines was by the Roman poet Ausonius (310 - 390 A.D.) who resided in Bordeaux but wrote about wine regions as far away as Germany. Hundreds of years later, in 910, the Abbey of Cluney, which Pope Urban II called the light of the world, was founded and began producing wine. Cluney, over the next 400 years, became the largest and most powerful Abbey in Europe and produced large amounts of wine from the Mâconnais, as well as Gevrey-Chambertin further north in Burgundy.

While the wines of the monks at Cluney enjoyed local fame it was not until the 17th century that wines form the Mâconnais gained wider recognition when an industrious local grower, Claude Brosee, decided to take his wine to the king. He loaded two casks onto a cart and traveled for 33 days, braving poor roads and highwaymen until he arrived at the court of Versailles where he presented his wine to King Louis XIV. King Louis was so impressed he declared the Mâconnais wine a better quality than the Loire wines he had been drinking! Throughout the 1600's the wines were regularly transported to Paris and after the French Revolution wines were shipped as far away as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Today, wines from the Mâconnais receive worldwide recognition.

Mâcon Bussières 2001

2001 began with a cold winter that was followed by a cold spring and a difficult (cold and rainy) flowering season. The summer was dry, it rained in early September but late September and October were simply fantastic. Harvest commenced the 20th of September.

© 2003 Éric Texier