Maison Valette

The definition of emotional wines

Do you know the white wines of Burgundy? Have you ever tasted the wines of Maison Valette? No? So you don't know the great natural white wines of Burgundy and Mâconnais yet. Faced with all this wave of opulent wines, marked by the fat of intensive aging in barrels, there is this institution, masterfully run by Cécile and Philippe Valette, and her brother Baptiste.
Epi-curious went to find Chardonnays of incredible precision and complexity. Wines of emotions to discover absolutely!

The story of Maison Valette

Welcome to the Mâconnais, more precisely to Chaintré near the most famous appellation in the sector: Pouilly-Fuissé where the Robert-Denogent estate excels. Where the Valette family settled 20 years ago (thanks to them).
This third generation succeeds in producing wines with an explosive personality, authentic natural wines. But it didn't happen overnight.
Cécile and Philippe Valette, as well as her brother Baptiste, work 15 hectares of vines in the communes of Chaintré and Vinzelles. Since the installation of the family in 1992, the estate is turned in biodynamics, for the greatest respect of the grounds.
Philippe Valette, passionate, wants to bring his wines to the best expression, as natural as possible, of his soil. If the wines of Maison Valette are so exceptional, it is because there is very particular attention paid to the soils, the vines and the time required to make them possible.

Burgundy natural wines

The two brothers have always been aware of the quality of their environment, which is why no chemical input is put inside the vine.
Maison Valette has taken the time to observe its plots according to their geographical and geological configuration, to understand their clay-limestone and siliceous soils. Why do they have so much precision and study? It is essential to have a healthy vine to produce exceptional natural wines, it is therefore necessary to maintain the microbial life necessary for this balance.
For this, Philippe and Baptiste aerate their soil by plowing or by grassing depending on the plot. The vines are left to their own devices, and get all their energy deep down, where the root system develops naturally.

Winemaking according to Maison Valette

To be able to offer inimitable Chardonnays, Cécile and Philippe Valette work in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
By respecting their vines, by not smothering them with chemicals, or other annoyances that would go against nature's work, they promote the production of healthy grapes. To keep all the quality and freshness of this grape, Maison Valette therefore produces reduced yields. The grapes are picked at perfect maturity, everything is tasted directly on the vine.
The harvest is carried out by hand, in small 15kg crates. There is no mechanical intervention in the vines.
Once the grapes have been picked, Maison Valette goes directly into the pneumatic press. The juice then flows by gravity into stainless steel tanks. At the Valette, sulfur is not welcome in winemaking, nor any other input.
A precise and rigorous work which allows Philippe Valette to protect as much as possible all the indigenous yeasts which work for the good fermentation of his wines. In Burgundy and more specifically in Mâconnais, Cécile and Philippe Valette, as well as Baptiste are considered tenors for the vinification of Chardonnay and the long maturing that follows. The Epi-curieux.com team is happy to be able to offer you some references from Maison Valette. Great Chardonnays, for exceptional moments! If you know the house, you know that the wines are even crazier over time. Patience (if you can), and you will have all the excellence of Maison Valette in your glass.

The wines of Maison Valette

Maison Valette then produced a benchmark Pouilly-Fuissé. This bottle comes from a blend of marl-limestone soil of Fuissé, a pure Chardonnay juice, complex, fruity, with a beautiful minerality... How can you resist?
MesdemoiZelles, on the Pouilly-Vinzelles appellation but downgraded (obviously their Vinzelles does not resemble the majority of overly standardized wines of the appellation), wine of great class. In this bottle, all of Philippe Valette's talent as a winemaker is expressed. This is possible thanks to grapes from old Chardonnay vines, grapes where the balance between maturity and finesse is just exceptional.
In the Mâcon-Chaintré appellation, Maison Valette produces its Hors-Piste bottle. A Chardonnay aged 10 years on lees to become an incredible wine, an oxidative and intense style. Signature of the House!
The artist Philippe Valette also works on the old vines of Mâcon-Chaintré, and produces this high-class Chardonnay. Aged for 3 years, this magnificent ripe, mineral Chardonnay can become addictive...
An essential house for lovers of great natural white wines! Enjoy these rarities.