Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
{ SOMMjournal.com } 51 In fact, when we asked two reputable sommeliers, Arthur Hon, Beverage Director and Sommelier at Sepia in Chicago, and Matthew Kaner, owner of Augustine Wine Bar in Los Angeles, to choose wines from their favorite lesser-known Bourgogne wines, they both immediately named wines from the Mâconnais. The primarily white wine region furthest to the south, the region showcases some of the best Chardonnays at a great value. The Mâconnais includes the broader AOC of Mâcon and the slightly more delimited AOC Mâcon-Villages, which may blend across 26 named villages. If the grapes all come from one village, that village may attach its name to Mâcon, as in AOC Mâcon Milly-Lamartine. Five additional villages, offering aging potential and slightly more complexity, are permitted to simply use their village name: Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Saint-Véran and Viré-Clessé. During WWII, the Germans were sourcing wine for themselves only from Regional and Village appel - lations, strangely not from Premiers Crus and Grands Crus. Therefore, lots of producers in Bourgogne hurried to have their Climats classified as Premiers Crus; the exception was the Mâconnais, which was located in the "zone libre" (unoccupied free zone). Currently, the three Pouillys are in the process of obtaining Premier Cru classification, which should happen in two to three years. The Mâconnais formerly had a lot of cooperatives, but more and more producers have chosen to go on their own now, which has contributed to a rise in overall quality. As is true all over Bourgogne, there is also less intervention today in the vineyards of the Mâconnais (fewer pesticides are used, for example) than in former days, which also contributes to the high quality of the wines. The first wine chosen by Hon, 2010 Mâcon- Milly-Lamartine "Clos du Four," by Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, is a great introduction to the region as a whole. Twenty-six villages within Mâcon may append their names to the label if abiding to higher restrictions in yields and winemaking, improving overall wine quality. "Everyone who loves Bourgogne knows Lafon," Hon declares. Dominique Lafon helped lead a migration of winemakers to buy land in the Mâconnais when he bought vineyards in 1999 near the village of Milly-Lamartine. Land is simply cheaper in the Mâconnais and that translates directly to a lower-priced bottle. Hon illuminates, "Price, consistency and approachability make the Wine & Spirits Best New Sommelier 2015, Arthur Hon's esteemed bever- age program at Sepia in Chicago continues to garner accolades. *The Bourgogne Wine Board prefers to refer to the region and its wines as Bourgogne, not Burgundy. Two iconic producers, chosen by Advanced Sommelier Arthur Hon, demonstrate the quality and value of the Mâconnais.