chardonnay.
patience.
monument.
Maison Valette is a touchstone for natural white winemaking, renowned for regal, long-aged Chardonnays. Since 1992, Philippe and Cécile Valette have cultivated 15 hectares in southern Burgundy—exclusively Chardonnay, biodynamically farmed, aged 2 to 12 years on lees without racking. Zero sulfur. No filtration. The result: wines of unfathomable depth that have defeated Côte de Beaune Grand Crus in blind tastings.
"If you respect the soil and climate, the plant takes care of itself"
Philippe Valette represents the third generation of a family that has worked these vines since the early 1900s. When he finished wine school in 1990, conventional education had taught him nothing of organic viticulture—yet he immediately converted the estate to organic and biodynamic practices. Two years of trial and error followed as he trained his Chardonnay vines to maximize terroir expression without chemicals.
"Blessed moreover with an abundance of old vines, the Valettes work to attain an optimal level of grape maturity, and for the rest, they keep it simple and natural…"
— On their minimal intervention philosophy
Gérard Valette was the first farmer in the region to stop selling grapes to the cooperative and create his own domaine wine in the 1970s. He became a pioneer of organic agriculture in the early 1990s with his sons Philippe and Baptiste, establishing the foundation for the estate's current reputation.
Philippe installed a regime of biodynamic treatments, gradually eliminated sulfite addition during élevage, and forswore filtration starting in 2006. Since 2016, the wines vinified by Philippe, Gérard and Baptiste unified under the name Maison Valette—monumental Chardonnays that defy Mâconnais conventions.
Clay-limestone, silica, and extreme maturity
Located in Chaintré on the border between Mâconnais and Beaujolais, the estate farms 15 hectares of exclusively Chardonnay. Soils alternate between clay-limestone and siliceous soils, aerated by ploughing or grassing depending on the plot's configuration. Vines average 45 years across the property—blessed with an abundance of old vines that contribute to the wines' extraordinary concentration.
- Chaintré 10 hectares — clay-limestone soils, hard pruning
- Vinzelles & Vergisson Pouilly-Fuissé terroirs — limestone dominance
- Viré-Clessé 1.48 hectares — 62-year-old vines
- Ploughing & Grassing Soil aeration adapted to geology
- Maximum Maturity Phenolic ripeness before harvest
"We do a great deal of work on the microbial life of the soil, so that the vines will thrive there... well-balanced grapes are obtained and they are left on the vines until they are perfectly ripe."
— Philippe Valette on terroir expression
The art of patience — 2 to 12 years aging
While neighbors harvest early for volume and tank-mature for speed, Maison Valette ages their wines in old oak barrels for a minimum of two years—up to twelve for the legendary Clos de Monsieur Noly. Weekly bâtonnage without racking. No new wood. The wines develop oxidative complexity, saline depth, and a density seldom reached in the Mâconnais.
Hand-harvested in 5kg crates during descending moon. Whole-bunch pneumatic pressing. Gravity flow to barrels—no sulfur, no yeast additions, no chaptalization, no acidification. Indigenous fermentation in old oak (228L barriques to 600L demi-muids). Weekly bâtonnage without racking. Bottled without fining or filtration after 2-12 years. Certain cuvées see 8+ years of aging, developing beautiful oxidative notes that "alas, are not always understood by the uninitiated."
Solera & the defiance of time
For the mythical Clos wines, Philippe employs a solera approach—blending multiple vintages (2011-2018 for Noly, 2014-2018 for Reyssié) to create timeless wines with unique balance and precision. This method, borrowed from Jura tradition but applied to Burgundian Chardonnay, creates layers of complexity impossible to achieve in single-vintage wines.
Rather than releasing vintage-specific wines, Philippe blends multiple years from his barrel library—2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018 for recent Noly releases. Each barrel contributes its state of advancement, its potential, and the magic of the combinations. The result: incredible depth that transcends vintage variation.
"A level of density and complexity seldom reached in this region, sometimes complemented by beautiful oxidative notes, which, alas, are not always understood by the uninitiated." These wines challenge conventions—hazelnut, marine lift, mealy texture, and oxidative depth that rivals Jura or the greatest White Burgundies.
"Pure, deep, complex, precise, taut and impressively long, adjectives fail to define them."
— On the indescribable quality of Valette's wines