The vines are on eastern facing slopes that mainly consist of clay and limestone with a subsoil of compact blue clay. With vines producing between 30 and 55 hectoliters a hectare, the dense planting of the vines increases competition between the vines, making the fruit in each grape highly concentrated. The winemaker's goal is to have as few grapes per vine naturally; this increases the concentration of flavors and the balance of the wine. All the grapes are harvested by hand — only the healthiest and most mature bunches are chosen at their maximum ripeness — and that minimizes the stress on the vine, fruit and the soil. The grapes are sorted by hand in the vineyard before going to the winery.

The grapes are pressed immediately, in order to preserve the freshness of the fruit. The juice is sent to the oak barrels where both the first (alcoholic) and second (maloactic) fermentations take place. Each barrel contains 228 liters or 300 bottles per barrel. Each vineyard is vinified separately and the use of SO2 and chaptalisation are kept to a strict minimum. After the second fermentation, the wine is racked and put back into barrels. “Les Combettes” spends a second winter in barrel before it is bottled without fining or filtration. Two hundred and fifty cases of the ’07 “Les Combettes” were produced and only ten cases of this stellar Macon are in the US — and yes, it's a PJ's exclusive. We are very proud to offer you this fantastic white at such a great price.

The nose opens with expansive aromas of crushed oyster shell and wet stone wrought with juicy lemon zest and Granny Smith apple flesh. The palate is steely and focused — not austere in the least — with superbly vibrant and integrated acidity. The wine finishes long, with echoing seashell and pit fruit tones. This is a rich and full-bodied gem and as it matures in bottle, it will take on ample overtones of dried fruit (apricots, figs, mango papaya) and freshly baked brioche, and will be is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled fish, roast pork loin, foie gras and roast chicken. The crisp, mineral driven character of this wine in it's relative youth, as in this spring and summer, makes it a perfect match with seafood, such as oysters on the half-shell, steamed lobster drenched in butter and grilled shrimp.

—Donald