Villaine Rully Les Saint-Jacques 2020

There’s nothing showy about this wine—no overt oak, no flash of ripeness—yet it leaves a mark. From an east-facing slope just below the Clos Saint-Jacques in the Côte Chalonnaise village of Rully, this Chardonnay comes from a site prized for its limestone-rich soils and cool exposure, yielding wines with clarity and nerve. The nose hints at citrus oil, pear skin, and something stony, almost electric. On the palate, it moves with quiet force: taut, textured, and slightly saline, as if the vineyard’s limestone had dissolved straight into the wine. It doesn’t need to raise its voice to command attention. It just stands there, balanced and sure of itself.