2017 Florent Rouve Vire-Clesse

The Bottle Sommeliers are Saving for Themselves

The newest appellation in Burgundy, Viré-Clessé is quickly distinguishing itself as one of the best villages in the Mâcon, and proving a worthy competitor to neighboring Pouilly-Fuissé—where vibrant Chardonnays like this command a far higher price.

Florent Rouve’s wines are insider wines—the kind Paris and New York sommeliers would rather save for themselves than pour for their customers. But today we’ve wrestled this graceful, aromatic Viré-Clessé from the shadows—bursting with vibrant orchard fruit layered with hazelnut, clotted cream, and a beautiful mineral throughline—it’s no wonder the somms want to hoard these bottles.  

Winemaker Florent Rouve has quickly gone from upstart to idol in France, where his tiny-production bottlings are showcasing terroir in bright, beautifully authentic, terroir-driven wines. “For Viré-Clessé,” Rouve told Wine Enthusiast, “it is the finesse, elegance and shy complexity that actually speaks volumes.It’s like a little sister with her secret garden, from whom you can take a great wealth if you take the trouble to listen to her.”

Rouve’s status as a torchbearer of the Mâcon’s new guard didn’t happen overnight. Rouve cut his teeth under Jean Rijckaert, whose label produces some of the most unique wines in France, from the Mâcon as well as the Jura, and has received countless high scores from Robert Parker. Above all, Rijckaert (pronounced ray-cart) is an enthusiast—no, a lover—of the land, going to great lengths to let the terroir speak freely in his wines.

Rouve has adopted his mentor’s ideology, and it’s on full display in this 2017 Viré-Clessé. In the glass, a gorgeous lemon-gold hue gives way to a treasure trove of ripe yellow apple, quince, fresh flowers, and well-integrated oak, finishing with refreshing zest. Don’t miss this—as his fame grows, so will the price tags on Florent Rouve’s outstanding, tiny production wines.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 13.00%
• 15 mins
• Drink Up
• % Chardonnay
• Serving temperature – 48°
• Cork