100% Chardonnay

Food pairings: Delicious on its own as an aperitif, and with poultry, veal, roast chicken, grilled fish, scallops and soft cheeses.

Winemaking: About 15% of the wine is aged for nine months in oak barrels, while the other 85% rests on its lees in stainless steel tanks. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation and is only lightly filtered before bottling, giving a fresh, aromatic white with a fine balance of acidity, fruit, oak and minerality.

Vineyards and terroir: This single-vineyard Chardonnay comes from the village of Péronne, in the heart of the Mâconnais, from organically farmed vines averaging 40 years old, planted on the calcareous marl and limestone soils of Mont Épin.

Family and history: A gentilhomme is a gentleman known for his delicacy, thoughtfulness and courtesy. Brothers Richard and Stéphane Martin of Domaine de la Croix Senaillet in Davayé created Les Gentilhommes to unite that character with Burgundian know-how. The wines come from the Maurice Martin side of the family business, named after their father, who founded his estate in 1974; the label is a replica of the one he used when he began bottling his own wine instead of selling everything to the négociants. The Martin brothers farm organically, certified by Ecocert.

In the pictures: The stainless steel vat room and the barrel cellar of Richard and Stéphane Martin's winery at Domaine de la Croix Senaillet (photos courtesy of Domaine de la Croix Senaillet).