Viré-Clessé
Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay.
- Wine village
- 1 h from Beaune
- White wine
€700for a full-day wine tour plus two hours, from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Appellations
- Viré-Clessé
- Grapes
- Chardonnay
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h by road (73 km), €210 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About Viré-Clessé
Viré-Clessé brings together four communes of the Haut-Mâconnais, north of Mâcon: Viré, Clessé, Laizé and Montbellet. It is about an hour from Beaune. Created in 1999, it is the youngest village appellation of the Mâconnais, and it is known for ripe, generous Chardonnay.
The wines
Viré-Clessé is white only, made mainly from Chardonnay, on about 450 hectares. The rules also allow a small share of other white grapes, such as Aligoté, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Vines grow at 200 to 440 metres on two north-south ridges facing east. Soils combine fossil-rich Bajocian limestone, Oxfordian marly limestone, clays with sandstone pebbles and the white limestone stones known locally as cray. Most wines are dry, ripe and generous. A few growers also make demi-sec, with 4 to 8 grams of sugar per litre, and late-harvest levrouté.
History
Clessé goes back to Gallo-Roman times: its Latin name, Classiacus, comes from an early owner called Classius. Its church of Notre-Dame, built at the end of the 11th century and early in the 12th, is inspired by Cluny and crowned by a slender octagonal bell tower. Viré's church of Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte keeps its 12th-century Romanesque nave and bell tower. Viré's cooperative cellar was founded in 1928.
When the Pouilly appellations were created further south, Viré and Clessé stayed under the regional Mâcon name, recognised in 1937. Chardonnay rose from about 70 percent of plantings in 1970 to almost all of them twenty years later. On 26 February 1999 a decree created Viré-Clessé, replacing Mâcon-Viré and Mâcon-Clessé. In 2018 the late-harvest levrouté and demi-sec styles were officially recognised.
What to see
Clessé church
Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption dates from the late 11th and early 12th centuries. Built of local limestone and inspired by Cluny, it is crowned by a finely proportioned octagonal bell tower.
Viré church
The church of Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte keeps its Romanesque nave, bell tower and side portal from the 12th century, despite changes made in the mid-19th century.
Maison Montauriol
A 16th-century house close to Clessé church, easy to spot thanks to its six-sided turret. Admire it from the street on a short walk through the village.
Tips for your visit
Viré-Clessé is about an hour from Beaune, close to the motorway. Pair it with the Romanesque abbey of Tournus, about 20 minutes north, or continue south to Pouilly-Fuissé for a Mâconnais day.
Around here
What to combine with Viré-Clessé on the same day, nearest first.
Pouilly-Fuissé
20 km awaySaint-Véran
23 km away
- Wine festival
Chardonnay Day à Chardonnay
A Thursday in May, from late afternoon into the eveningChardonnay
Guides about Viré-Clessé
Questions
Viré-Clessé is about 1 h from Beaune by road (73 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €210 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Viré-Clessé levrouté is a late-harvest wine with 8 to 18 grams of sugar per litre. The grapes must be picked by hand, and the style was officially recognised only in 2018.
Sources
Viré-Clessé with a private driver
Full-day wine tour plus two hours from Beaune: €700 for the car, up to 4 guests