Love at first sight in Uchizy

Pierre Mang is the story of an encounter. First with his wine, then with a man, a talented young winemaker with a bright future.

Saturday, July 15, 2023. Vauxrenard, a charming perched village in the Beaujolais region. We're seated in a magnificent tree-lined garden with a breathtaking view over the vineyards. This magical place was created by Gusta van Walsem, the girlfriend of Yvon Métras (a Beaujolais wine legend, don't you remember?). In fact, this is his home, in his garden. This restaurant, which opens from July 1 to August 31, lives up to its name: Ephémère. The menu is mouth-watering. And the wine list? Short but salivating, too. The name rings a bell, but we've never tasted it. We'll take this. Go for "Le Parc 2021" by a certain Pierre Mang. Gusta salutes our choice. "You'll see, it's great, it's a young guy who's just settled in the Mâconnais, it's pinot noirs like we like." She brings the bottle. Nice label. Quite modern, lively. Seductive on the nose. Floral, elegant. The color is luminous. Let's toast and taste.

Monday, July 17, 2023. "Hello? Hello Pierre. I'm taking the liberty of contacting you because I tasted your wine last Saturday in Vauxrenard. We really loved it. We're wine merchants in Beaune. We'd be delighted to present your wine. Oh, dear... You don't have much left. That's okay, can we meet if you have a little time?"

Wednesday, July 26, 2023. We meet at Pierre's home, in a village between Tournus and Mâcon. A few years ago, this 39-year-old former financial analyst chose to change his life. He traded in his spreadsheets and data to pursue his passion for wine and vines. He left Paris, enrolled in a BPREA in Beaune and began working for Jean-Yves Bizot. He then moved on to Domaine Valette, where he met Alexandre Jouveaux. In contact with these excellent winemakers, he learns in the best possible way. He listens, stores up and then, in 2019, he takes the plunge. At first, only a few bottles. Then he took over plots of land until today he manages just over 2.5 hectares of vines. Pierre is a discreet man, a good listener. But he's also, and above all, a true enthusiast with a singular sensitivity and instinct. After confirming our pleasure by tasting again this superb 2021 pinot and discovering his equally convincing chardonnay, we decided it was urgent to meet again next year. And this time, we intend to take a few bottles home with us.

Thursday, May 23, 2024. We're back at Pierre's place. The welcome is as friendly as ever. His new winery is finished. The 2022s have just been bottled. We can't wait to taste it. Unsurprisingly, it's a marvel. Le Parc, a whole-harvest Pinot Noir the likes of which we'd love to drink every day, is floral and incredibly graceful. Pure, almost regressive pleasure. Of course, we're here with organic vines, indigenous yeasts, zero sulfur, zero manipulation, aged in old barrels. Nothing but grapes! We then taste another Parc 22, this time from a large 600-litre foudre. This one has benefited from a few extra months of ageing. It has just been bottled (May 24). This Parc "V2" has great length, more structure and depth. Its potential really intrigues us. On the white side, we're equally enthusiastic. Les Voisins 22 is a very pretty Chardonnay, typical of the Mâconnais region, with great volume on the palate. Beaufer 22, a new parcel in Tournus, impresses us even more. Its oxidation-reduction profile, reminiscent of Philippe Valette's paste, accentuates its depth and restores all its power to the terroir. Finally, Terres Noires 22, another new Chardonnay parcel, is a bundle of energy. We leave this tasting with stars in our eyes. Pierre promises to make us wine. He'll keep his word.

And here we are in September 2024. After months of waiting, we're finally able to present one of our favorite wines of recent years. For this first meeting, we present two wines: Le Parc 2022 and Les Voisins 2022. In a few weeks' time, you'll be able to discover the second bottling of Le Parc 22, as well as the two other Chardonnays, Beaufer and Terres Noires (the labels are currently being designed by Pierre's wife). We don't want to make a big deal of it, but to be honest, Pierre Mang's future looks very, very promising.

Due to very small volumes, we are obliged to limit to 1 or 2 bottles per person. Thank you for your understanding.