MERCUREY PREMIER CRU
EN SAZENAY 2022
Grape Variety
100% Pinot Noir.
Tasting notes
Colour: garnet red.
Nose: powerful with marked aromas of blackcurrant and toasted wood.
Palate: delicate mouth where the fruits are carried by silky and enveloping tannins. A wine full of richness, fruit and length. A delicious toast that needs some years to round off.
Food and wine pairing
This Premier Cru goes very well with roasted meats or with stews such as beef bourguignon, coq au vin or poched eggs in wine sauce ("Oeufs en Meurette"), terrines, cheese.
Serving suggestions
Serve idellay at a temperature of 14-16°C. (57-60°F.)
Ageing potential
4 to 6 years, even more in good storage conditions.
Origin
In the Cote Chalonnaise, birthplace of viticultural Burgundy, Mercurey is one of the oldest terroirs which has always enjoyed an excellent reputation.
Mercurey is a communal appellation which includes 31 Premier Cru climats. Located in the north of the Côte Chalonnaise, more than 90% of the wine produced under the appellation Mercurey are red wines. They extend on 596 ha, of which 143 are Premiers Crus. White wines are produced on 85 ha, including 13 ha of Premier Cru.
The village inherited its name from the Romans: when they settled in the region, they built a temple in tribute to Mercury, their patron God of commerce and financial gain.
The vineyard estate extends now over 21 hectares and offers 3 upper quality wines from the appellation of Mercurey. White wines: Mercurey (3 ha), red wines: Mercurey (7.50 ha) and Mercurey 1er Cru En Sazenay (1.75 ha).
This “lieu-dit” benefits from a southeastern exposure at an altitude of 250-280 meters above the sea level. It's one of the best exposure you can find for a vineyard, because it's the one where the vines will get the most sunlight. One other great advantage of this terroir lies in its being on a slope: vines get just the right amount of water and the amount of sunshine is optimum. Grown on a clay limestone sandy soil, the vines can give their best. There, the wines we get are deep and well structured, thanks to this ideal conditions.
Terroir
- Vineyard area: 1.75 Ha (2.47 acres).
- Vines age: around 51 years.
- Soil: Calcareous clay soil, deep sand.
Vinification and maturing
We harvested our Premier Cru Sazenay by hand, on September 1st and 6th, 2022. The grapes were sorted and transported in 16kg boxes.
Maceration lasted 14 to 20 days with a cold pre-fermentation stage of 36 hours before the fermentation. Vinification took place in thermo-regulated concrete vats with daily pumping over and some punching down.
The wines were then barreled (25% of which were new barrels) for an 8 months ageing period. Fine filtration was carried out before bottling.
Vintage : 2022
Uncertain weather conditions all the yearlong, but mild in the end throughout the season!
The harvest, running from 25 August to 16 September. The grapes were beautifully healthy, with varying degrees of ripeness depending on the exposure.
Balanced, honest white wines. Maturing ought to bring just the right degree of roundness to red wines with varying qualities, depending on the maturity of each plot. We have both sophisticated, fruity red wines with a good Burgundy tension as well as rich, warmer ones. A pleasant vintage in terms of quality with excellent yields for both whites and reds.The vinification choices have been crucial as to whether to favour acidity or the alcoholic degree.
Awards
DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS - 92 pts - Silver Medal - June 2024
INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION - 94 pts - Silver Medal - May 2024
INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE - 96 pts - Gold Medal - May 2024
