HENRI PERRUSSET 2024 MACON VILLAGES

After sending us dozens of vintages of wonderful white Burgundy following that fateful truck-stop encounter with Kermit back in the late 1980s, Henri Perrusset has now taken a well-earned retirement. The first time I tasted one of Henri’s Mâcon-Villages, I was amazed by the balance of unadorned country charm and finesse—not to mention the fantastic value. Over the last few years, his successor, Nicolas Roux, has taken up the mantle seamlessly while doing everything in his power, in this sunnier corner of Burgundy, to imbue his wines with even just a little more acidity and liveliness. “The objective,” Nicolas recently told me, “is to achieve the best possible balance between freshness and roundness.” Aged eight months on the lees in stainless steel, this Mâcon-Villages continues to deliver that admirable balance of fresh fruit, terroir, and exuberance I first experienced several years ago. Evoking orchard fruit, citrus, and stones, it would pair just as well with a fried shrimp po’ boy as it would with Gary Podesto’s seared scallops. KERMIT LYNCH WINE MERCHANT