In Chaintré, at the southern edge of Burgundy, Maison Valette offers one of the most distinctive expressions of natural Chardonnay in the Mâconnais. A family estate led by Philippe, Cécile and Baptiste Valette, it produces deep, living and long-aged white wines, sought after for their texture, energy and singular personality.

Maison Valette — Living, deeply expressive Chardonnay from the Mâconnais

Based in Chaintré, in southern Burgundy, Maison Valette is one of the most respected names among lovers of natural white Burgundy. Located at the meeting point of the Mâconnais and Beaujolais, this family estate works around fifteen hectares with an artisanal, demanding and deeply living approach.

Today associated with Philippe, Cécile and Baptiste Valette, the domaine has become known for a highly personal vision of Chardonnay: ripe, free, long-aged wines, sometimes touched by a subtle oxidative dimension, yet always carried by soil energy and rare depth on the palate.

History: a winegrowing family in Chaintré

The estate entered a new chapter when Gérard Valette stopped selling grapes to the local cooperative and began vinifying his own wines. Philippe Valette then continued this path from the 1990s, gradually guiding the domaine towards organic and biodynamic viticulture.

This trajectory has made Maison Valette a domaine apart: discreet, non-standardised and guided by patience rather than immediate effect. Chardonnay is allowed to build slowly, finding its balance through time, texture and a strong sense of origin.

Terroir: Chaintré, Pouilly-Fuissé and the southern Mâconnais

Maison Valette’s vines are planted around Chaintré, in a warm and sunlit part of southern Burgundy, on clay-limestone soils that can vary significantly from parcel to parcel. The estate works exclusively with Chardonnay, expressed through Mâcon-Villages, Mâcon-Chaintré, Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Vinzelles and several single-site cuvées.

Viticulture and winemaking: patience, maturity and long élevage

The domaine works in an organic and biodynamic spirit, with soil cultivation, respect for natural balance and a search for full maturity. In the cellar, fermentations are carried out with limited intervention and élevage can be very long, sometimes lasting several years in barrel. This patience gives wines of texture, depth and gastronomic presence.

Style of the wines

Maison Valette wines are defined by generous substance, living energy and a strong sense of character. They evoke ripe white fruit, candied citrus, apple, pear, discreet honey, dried flowers, noble bitters and saline notes. These are Chardonnays of presence, often atypical, capable of gaining complexity over many years.

Emblematic cuvées

Cellaring and food pairings

The finest Maison Valette cuvées can age for 10 to 20 years, sometimes longer depending on the vintage. They pair well with noble fish, poultry in cream sauce, risotto, morels, mature Comté, mushroom dishes, shellfish and richly textured gastronomic cuisine.