Nicolas Delfaud is a vigneron whose story is as compelling as the wines he makes. Originally from the suburbs of Paris, he spent years working as a sommelier and cellar manager at a four-star hotel before following a dream he'd held for over a decade. At 32, he left the city behind, enrolled at the agricultural school in Davayé to earn his degree in viticulture and oenology, and settled in the Mâcon with his two children in tow.

His apprenticeship at Château des Rontets in Pouilly-Fuissé — a family domaine practicing organic viticulture — gave him hands-on experience across every aspect of production, from the vineyard to the bottling line. It was there that his philosophy took shape. In autumn 2015, Domaine Nicolas Delfaud was born, with four rented hectares of Chardonnay and Gamay in the village of Verzé, located just northwest of Mâcon — the same limestone-rich terroir that drew Domaine Leflaive to plant 30 hectares there.

From his very first vintage in 2016, Nicolas committed to organic farming and is now fully certified. Some of his practices are biodynamic. His vineyards sit on east-facing slopes between 350 and 410 meters in elevation, on marl-limestone soils that impart the kind of nervy minerality and tension that defines great Mâconnais Chardonnay. Harvest is done entirely by hand in small 40 kg crates to protect the integrity of the fruit from vine to press. In the cellar, he ferments with indigenous yeasts, works on the lees, and intervenes as little as possible — letting the terroir do the talking.

Delfaud is the real thing: a self-made vigneron with no shortcuts, no family inheritance, and no pretension — just a deep belief in the potential of Verzé and the passion to see it through.

Mâcon-Verzé Blanc
100% Chardonnay from vines planted between 2002 and 2018. The soil is clay-limestone with some marl. This is vinified and aged in a combination of stainless steel and use oak barrels. 6000 bottles produced.

Mâcon-Verzé Blanc ‘Bien Heureux’
100% Chardonnay. Bien Heureux translates to ‘very happy’. This comes from a parcel planted in 1965 and is vinified and aged in a combination of stainless steel and used oak barrels.