Eve & Michel Rey, Mâcon Vergisson, "La Roche"

Some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stood in Burgundy aren’t in the famous villages of the Côte d’Or, they’re further south, in the Mâconnais, where the landscape suddenly turns dramatic. You come around a bend and there it is, the great hill of Vergisson, rising steep and jagged out of the vines, a sheer wall of pale limestone glowing in the sun (click through to see photos). It doesn’t feel like the rest of Burgundy. It feels older, raw, elemental. That hill is pure limestone, and that’s exactly what this wine is tapped into. This 2023 “La Roche” from Eve & Michel Rey is everything you want from Chardonnay grown on this kind of ground: deep, mineral, full-bodied yet precise, dense with flavor but cut by that clean, stony edge that keeps pulling you back in. At $32 a bottle, this is one of the best values in white Burgundy today. Buy a 6-pack, you won’t regret it.

Burgundy is the spiritual home of Chardonnay, and nowhere else does the grape translate place with this level of clarity. From the laser-cut, saline wines of Chablis grown on ancient Kimmeridgian limestone, to the layered, textural whites of the Côte de Beaune, Chardonnay here is a direct expression of soil, slope, and climate. Head south into the Mâconnais and things open up—the hills get broader, the sun a touch warmer—but in the best pockets, especially around Vergisson and neighboring Fuissé, the limestone comes roaring back to the surface. These are some of the most compelling terroirs in southern Burgundy, capable of producing wines with real depth, structure, and mineral drive—often at a fraction of the price you’d pay further north.

Eve and Michel Rey have been quietly working these slopes for decades, farming small parcels around Vergisson with a focus on letting the site speak clearly. Their vineyards sit at the base and along the flanks of that iconic limestone escarpment, where soils are thin, rocky, and incredibly active. Farming is thoughtful and hands-on, with an emphasis on balance in the vines and healthy soils. In the cellar, the approach is classic and restrained—native fermentations, careful élevage, and a light touch with oak so the purity of the fruit and the imprint of the limestone come through cleanly. “La Roche” is exactly what the name suggests—a wine shaped by stone.

In the glass, it’s vibrant and expressive right out of the gate. Citrus oil, lemon curd, and white peach lead, followed by crushed stone, white flowers, and a faint almond note. The palate has real weight, but it’s carried by a bright spine of acidity and that signature chalky minerality that defines the best wines from Vergisson. There’s a subtle creaminess from the élevage, but everything stays lifted and precise through the finish. Serve at 50–55°F in Burgundy stems. Pair with roast chicken, seared scallops, creamy pastas, or anything with a beurre blanc or citrus-driven sauce. Drink now or over the next 5–7 years.