Saint Veran
Saint-Véran is an appellation for dry white wines produced in the southern half of the Mâconnais sub-region of Burgundy.
The appellation is split into two sections by the vineyards of Pouilly-Fuissé. Both lie in the chain of hills in which the much-photographed Rock of Solutré is situated.
The northern half is home to the communes of Davayé, Prissé and Solutré-Pouilly, the last of which may produce both Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran wines. The southern half comprises the communes of Chânes, Chasselas, Leynes, Saint-Amour and Saint-Vérand (from which the appellation gains its name). The final ‘d’ of Saint-Vérand was lost due to an administrative error when the appellation laws were being drawn up in 1971.
As the southernmost appellation of Burgundy, Saint-Véran overlaps slightly with the northern edge of Beaujolais. The commune of Saint-Amour, for example, produces white wines labeled as Saint-Véran alongside the fine red Beaujolais Cru wines for which it is more widely known.
Saint-Véran’s output is largely composed of wine that, until the formation of the AOC, would have fallen under the Beaujolais Blanc title. The quality of the wines usually fall somewhere between those of the Mâcon-Villages and Pouilly-Fuissé appellations. The best can rival some examples from the latter.
All Saint-Véran wines are made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape variety. They are traditionally dry in style, yet more full-bodied than other white Burgundies. In their youth, they have floral aromas and notes of white stone fruit, developing into more honeyed, nutty aromas with age. The finest examples show a hint of pierre a fusil – the mineral, flinty aroma so prized in Burgundian white wines.
The climate in the Saint-Véran catchment area is slightly warmer than in most of Burgundy, due to its southerly location. Spring frosts, which so readily threaten vines in cooler Burgundy appellations like Chablis, are less of a danger here. The soils, while not as dominated by limestone as the slopes of neighboring Pouilly-Fuissé, have a fair proportion of chalky clay – particularly in vineyards lining the small Crosne and Arlois rivers.