We are big fans of this small, family-owned domaine, nestled in the hills of the Macon region of southern Burgundy, in the notable village of Pierreclos.  Domaine Coteaux des Margot is owned by Jean-Luc Durossay, and their wines are imported and distributed here in the SF Bay Area by Jean-Luc’s son, Paul, under the aptly-named company, Pierreclos Imports.  Paul arrived in San Francisco several years ago and quickly established a beachhead in the competitive Bay Area marketplace through his hard work, perseverance and great prices.  His portfolio of wines included his family’s wines, of course, but also a few well-chosen wines from other young winemakers from his university days.  Over the years, Paul has added some very impressive wines to his book but we always come back to the lovely, authentic and affordable wines from his family’s estate.  Chardonnay is the order of the day when it comes to Macon and although Coteaux des Margots does make some wonderful Gamay-based reds, it’s hard to beat their Macon-Villages, sourced from old vines in the villages of Pierreclos, St. Veran and Milly-Lamartine.  Farmed sustainably and moving toward organic viticulture, these vines produce CLASSIC Macon.  I capitalized the word classic because you’d be hard-pressed to find a more expressive example of this popular appellation; fresh, succulent fruit with wonderful underpinnings of minerality from the clay/limestone soils and a lively, citrus-driven acidity that is simply mouthwatering.  Fermented and aged in steel tanks, there is no oak influence to interfere with the pure drinking pleasure of this well-made Chardonnay.  We are thrilled, once again, to support Paul in his efforts to represent the so-called ‘little guy’ and to reward his family’s efforts in making such wonderful wines. – Frank Rothstein, PRIMA Minister of Value