Jean Manciat Macon Charnay

The Estate... Jean Manciat farms 5.5 hectares of vines in the Macon, southern Burgundy. His wines are exceptional because Manciat is in pursuit of quality, and willing to work harder to get the results he craves. Old vines are a part of his vineyard mix, which is harvested by hand - only a tiny percentage of growers pick by hand in the Macon. He prunes his vines for quality, not quantity, and intersperses grasses and other crops that minimize the need for herbicides. The wine is a triumph, exceptional in a region more known for the ordinary.

The Wine... is fermented in stainless steel, which keeps it snappy in spite of atypical ripeness. Saying a wine is great with chicken feels at times like a generic cop-out, but this wine truly is, so there you go. A perfectly roasted chicken is a thing of beauty.

The Land... is a border between Burgundy and Beaujolais, a fertile agricultural zone known for serviceable-to-pleasant white wines made of Chardonnay and generally dubious reds made from Gamay. The Macon is also a border between northern and southern France, a region whose climate vacillates from Continental to Mediterranean, sometimes with little warning. La Roche Vineuse is a prominent limestone outcropping that dominates the skyline of this region, near the ancient abbey of Cluny. The residents of this important monastery brought large-scale viticulture to Burgundy more than a millennium ago.