Jean Manciat Macon-Charnay Franclieu 2023 FRFLSH where 40- to 50-year-old vines

where 40- to 50-year-old vines planted to multiple Chardonnay clones deliver exceptional freshness and precision

with terroir consultant Pedro Parra brought in to map the soils

The 2022 is generous and ripe

The result is a Munich Dunkel that's genuinely complex—rich and malty with integration you only get from patience

a cellar with stone walls thick enough to hold a cool temperature year-round without help

Jean Manciat Macon-Charnay Franclieu 2023 FRFLSH where 40- to 50-year-old vinesJean Manciat farms a handful of hectares in Charnay, just outside Macon, and the Franclieu cuvee is the gem of the lineup a single lieu dit drawn from his oldest vines on a clay limestone slope. It's fermented with native yeasts and raised entirely in stainless steel, so what you get is pure, unvarnished Chardonnay: chalk, orchard fruit, white flowers. 2023 came in a touch lower in alcohol than the regular bottling, which only sharpens the focus. This