Talmard Mâcon-Chardonnay Charmes 2023

A Mâconnais Chardonnay, and this review is of a bottle from the village of Chardonnay itself. Gérald Talmard’s Mâcon-Chardonnay Charmes 2023 comes from a corner of southern Burgundy most drinkers skip on their way to Pouilly-Fuissé. No big name, no château. At a wine fair, Jeroen Boom of WijnDijck poured it for me.

Mâconnais in short

The Mâconnais lies south of the Côte d’Or and runs warmer and drier. Spring frost strikes less often. That gives Chardonnay more weight, while the limestone and clay soils keep the acidity upright.

What the region lacks: the prestige of Meursault or Puligny. That sits in the Côte d’Or; here, the value sits.

Mâcon-Chardonnay is a Mâcon with a village name. A number of villages may put their own name after “Mâcon” on the label, and Chardonnay is one of them. The village shares its name with the grape.

The domaine

The Talmard family has grown grapes in Uchizy since the late seventeenth century. After 2000 the brothers split the estate; Philibert Talmard and his son Gérald built a new cellar. Gérald now runs the domaine, with around thirty hectares of clay and limestone around Uchizy and Chardonnay.

Charmes is the exception in the range. Three quarters age in stainless steel, with bâtonnage three times a week for three months: the lees are stirred through the wine. The other quarter spends five months in 600-litre demi-muids. The rest of Talmard’s wines see only steel.

Tasting Note

Tasting Note

Nose

Unmistakably Burgundian: butter and vanilla, coconut and toasted oak in the background. Underneath, citrus (lime, lemon), tropical edges (pineapple, a hint of banana) and stone fruit stitching it together.

Palate

Full, creamy, the oak generously present.

Finish

Stays fresh despite the weight.

What I watch for

One: the oak. I noted butter, vanilla, coconut and toasted oak. Striking, because only a quarter of the wine saw a cask, and large 600-litre ones at that. Part of that creaminess may also come from the lees stirring.

Two: the style. Too rich for the Meursault purist. If you like a polished, creamy Mâcon, it’s right on the money.

At the table

• Butter-poached lobster or scallops with cream sauce
• Chicken in cream or mustard sauce
• Aged Gruyère, mature Gouda
• Creamy mushroom risotto, roasted root vegetables

Skip the spicy Asian plates and the ripe goat cheeses; the oak gets in the way.

Final word

An honest bottle, not a peak performer, and it doesn’t need to be. The value is in the find: a Chardonnay you won’t fish out of a supermarket bin.

Producer

Domaine Gérald Talmard, Uchizy

Wine

Mâcon-Chardonnay Charmes

Vintage

2023

Region

Mâconnais, Burgundy, France

Grape

Chardonnay

Ageing

75% steel with bâtonnage, 25% five months in 600 l demi-muids

With thanks to WijnDijck for the pour.

Sources

• My own tasting note
• Domaine Gérald Talmard (official): domainetalmard-gerald.fr
• Avinture, product information Charmes 2023: avinture.nl
• BIVB (Bourgogne Wines): bourgogne-wines.com
• INAO: inao.gouv.fr