Beaujolais/Mâconnais

Mâconnais:

The vineyards of the Mâconnais continue Burgundy's descent through the Saone-et-Loire department towards Lyon. Six thousand hectares are in production, 67.5% of it being Chardonnay, a little Pinot Blanc and Aligote, the rest is planted to Gamay (25%) and Pinot Noir (7.5%). The whites are unquestionably finer than the reds, for the Chardonnay thrives on the high limestone content of the granite-based soil and world demand for white wine has encouraged growers to replant this varietal.

Beaujolais:

Beaujolais is the most southerly vineyard area in Burgundy, running for over 70 km, just below Mâcon to just above Lyon.  The area covers 22,000 hectares, producing nearly 150 million bottles of wine.  It can be divided into the Haut-Beaujolais in the north, with a clayey-sandy top-soil on a schistous-granite base, from which comes all Beaujolais crus and Beaujolais-Villages, and the Bas-Beaujolais to the south, with a more limestone-clayey soil, producing more simple wines.