Posted on 06/09/2021
A vast region full of surprises!
Our tour of the Côte Chalonnaise takes us today to Mercurey, a name well known to wine lovers. And for good reason, with no fewer than 32 Premier Cru appellations. It is one of the region's most extensive areas, with three communes: Mercurey, Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu and Bourgneuf-Val-d'Or. Production is mainly concentrated on red wines, with 543 hectares of Pinot noir grapes and "only" 105 hectares of white wines, made from Chardonnay grapes. There are different types of wine, depending on the soils in which they are produced. Soils composed of deep marl give rise to robust wines such as Les Crêts, Le Clos du Roy and Clos Barrault, while stony soils produce softer, finer wines such as Sazenay, Les Champs Martin and Les Croichots. For white wines, the white marls give rich, full-bodied wines such as Les Velley.
Red wines have a deep, dark ruby-red color. Some purplish and dark garnet hues are very present, similar to those of Pommard and Volnay .
The color of white wines varies between several shades of yellow, but is generally quite pale, with significant green highlights.
On the nose, reds are obviously composed of strong red fruit aromas such as raspberry, strawberry or cherry. As they age, the aromas change, moving towards more classic accents such as undergrowth, moss, leather and game.
The whites are quite floral, with notes of mint, lime blossom, cinnamon and fresh almond. Some wines also have hints of hazelnut.
On the palate, Mercurey reds are chewy , thanks to their well-presented tannins, which sometimes bring a hint of bitterness that fades as the wine ages. In spite of everything, these wines remain very fine and rather elegant. The white wine is rather greedy despite a certain minerality that contributes to its originality.
In terms of food and wine pairing, the rich, meaty character of the red is a perfect match for beef, braised lamb or lamb in sauce. Exotic dishes are a perfect match, as are cheese platters (both soft and mature cheeses), all at a serving temperature of between 14 and 15 degrees for the youngest wines, and 15 to 16 degrees for the most mature.
For the whites, the floral and mineral touches go perfectly with grilled fish, seafood and hard cheeses. This wine can also be enjoyed as an aperitif. The recommended serving temperature is between 11 and 13 degrees.
