It may be a cliché, but at Maison Valette growing grapes and making wine is art. These are becoming harder and harder to find in France and I need to be quick to get my reservation in each year, the world has well and truly arrived. For three generations, the Valette family has lived in Chaintré, a small village on the border between Mâconnais and Beaujolais. They grow wine on fifteen acres scattered in five villages - Chardonnay alone. The grandfather moved here from nearby Bresse after World War II, with no money in his pocket, and started his business with leased vineyards (métayage).
