Like the song says, ‘every day is a winding road.’ We’re old enough to remember when it wasn’t unusual to find a knockout Macon for this kind of price. But that was a long time ago. In fact, with all of the new Premier Cru things happening in the Macon, prices are going the other way. That’s what makes this Macon buy not only special, but in a way kind of nostalgic. Meanwhile this ripping Macon deal was brought about by events.
Founded in 1989, Domaine Catherine & Didier Tripoz is located in the southern part of the Mâcon appellation, with an area of about 13 ha (about 32 acres) planted mainly with Chardonnay as you would expect. The age of the vines is between 20 and 65 years, averaging about 45 years-of-age. As of 2018, they have converted to organic farming.
Fast forward some three decades, and Catherine and Didier have decided to retire. They are selling the domaine and were liquidating their existing stocks. An importer we know was ‘johnny on the spot’ and snapped up a great portion of their remaining wines, which were predominantly from the very good 2019 and excellent 2020 vintages.
You can bet this would have been a full-blown email except that we didn’t quite have enough wine to do that because some of our shrewder buyers have been nibbling on the stocks for a while. Still, it was time to mention the Domaine Catherine & Didier Tripoz Macon Charnay Clos des Tournons 2020 (‘Clos des Tournons’ is a monopole, meaning that the Tripoz family owns the entire parcel). This will give a hint to a few new folks and be fair warning to those that have already discovered this little gem that it’s one and done.
This Macon has a real ‘old school’ feel to it. The wine shows floral notes, crisp apple, pear and citrus in the nose. The palate has bright apple, pear and a touch of citrus fruit, a surprising depth and intensity to the palate with notes of stone and faintly honeyed notes to the finish. From top to bottom the is plenty of underlying, as one taster called it ‘crackling’ acidity and a nice snap of minerality. The crisp profile, and the price ($13.98!), reminds us pleasantly of ‘days of yore’ before global warming. Right place, time, an exceptional buy…while it lasts.