Site: in southern Burgundy, a few kilometers from Chalon-sur-Saône; the appellation extends over the territory of Mercurey and two other villages: Saint-Martin-Sous-Montaigu and Bourgneuf-Val-d'Or.History & tradition: at the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey is a rival to the most highly regarded villages of Burgundy. It owes its prominence to the proximity of Châlon, a town which, in Antiquity, had a busy trade notably in tin through its harbor on the Saône River. Its reputation was already established under the Romans, themselves quite versed in viticulture, and documents going back to 557 and 885 confirm this fact.Soil: slopes have a south or south east orientation. Its subsoil, the famous Oxfordian limestone responsible for so many great wines of the Côte d'Or, is only a few feet below the surface and is highly prized.
Viticulture
Plantation density: 10,000 vinestocks/ha in order to extract as much as possible from the terroir.Pruning: Guyot.Yield: low on purpose, in order for the grapes to reveal every nuance of the terroir.Grape Supply: grapes are purchased from supply partners.
Vinification
Maceration:
maceration and vinification take 2 to 3 weeks
indigenous yeasts
maceration and fermentation temperatures under total control.
Joseph Drouhin seeks total control of the process of extraction; extraction gives colour and substance to a wine but should never be detrimental to its finesse and typical character.
Ageing
Type: in barrels (10% in new oak).Length: 12 to 15 months.Throughout the ageing process, decisions are taken only after careful tasting evaluation, barrel by barrel. The data obtained is then completed through technical analysis. As with every other Joseph Drouhin wine, absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.
Tasting note by Véronique Boss-Drouhin
"The depth and bright ruby colour of Mercurey give it a seductive look. On the nose, it is first reminiscent of red fruit jellies, such as raspberry or black currant. As the wine opens up, there are some spicy notes, such as fine leather or brown tobacco. On the palate, there is no harshness in the body, but a pleasant freshness and delicate texture. Concentrated flavors and sensations of preserved fruit come to the fore and enhance a long, persistent, aftertaste".
Vintage
This vintage was marked by a concentration of juice in the berries just before the harvest. The wines show a very nice intense ruby colour. The nose is complex and very expressive of red fruits and black fruits but above all the expressions of the terroirs are already noticeable.
