Until 2005, the Perraud family were among many in the Mâconnais making a living growing grapes for their local co-operative. At the age of 24, Jean-Christophe Perraud decided to change this. Encouraged by his parents, he began to make and bottle wine from his family’s 30 hectares of organically farmed Bourgogne, Mâcon and Saint-Véran vineyards. Produced from younger vines, both the Chardonnay and the Aligoté being on average 20 years old, the resulting wines show remarkable elegance and complexity at modest price tags. Domaine Perraud is a fine example of a young producer striking out on his own, with the family’s vineyards, to create what will undoubtedly become one of the Mâconnais’ most respected domaines.
Fruit for the Mâcon-Villages comes from the Perraud’s own organically-farmed vineyards across 15 different plots in the commune of La Roche Vineuse. The vines are on average 25 years old and are planted on a mixture of limestone, clay, loam and flint. The clay soils give extra power and richness to the otherwise elegant, aromatic palate.