What do you do when your spouse insists on drinking great White Burgundy but you’re too cheap to spend an arm and a leg to keep peace in the family? The obvious answer is to buy a classy Macon Village and simply lie about the price. With a wine like the Sylvaine & Alain Normand’s ultra-reliable Macon La Roche Vineuse, you are more than likely to get away with it because the wine is complex, delicious and has more than a passing resemblance to the good stuff from further up the Cote! The ‘regular’ Macon La Roche cuvee is a longtime PRIMA favorite made by Sylvaine and Alain Normand, a husband and wife team who farm a collective 35 hectares spread out amongst some of the top orientations of the enormous outcropping of limestone called Vineuse. The winemaking here is inspired- native yeast fermentation, extended lees contact, variety of aging containers, etc.- and a Normand Chardonnay, whichever cuvee it is, is always a truly wonderful wine reflective of the wonderfully stony terroirs from which these grapes are harvested. The 2023 Normand Macon La Roche Vineuse has the stony siphoned-through-stone minerality that is the hallmark of this appellation with touches of fresh citrus, fresh green herb and a nicely rounded texture that caresses the palate. Minerally, but not at all austere, there’s a little bit of oak on it that keeps it quite easy to pair with your favorite comfort foods and all too easy to drink an entire bottle at one sitting all on its own. This is one that both Frank and I are authorized by our Burgundy-loving wives to buy cases, and that doesn’t happen very often. This is 100% PRIMA Minister of Value certified!