Wines

After experimenting with two cuvées of Mercurey Blanc, one being a 1er Cru from the Les Veleys site, Agnes de Launay has determined that her white wine is at its best when she can select the finest juice from the limited production of Chardonnay; so, now, there is a single cuvée of Mercurey Blanc, declared as a village wine, drawn both from plantings in Les Veleys and several other smaller parcels.  Total annual production of white wine is approximately 500 cases.

RWM has historically restricted our activity to the four 1er Crus at the domaine. Having tasted this village Mercurey over the past several years, we were compelled by the strong quality-to-price ratio to add this wine to the lineup. Made from a blend of different Mercurey terroirs totaling 7 hectares, the wine is a good introduction to the straightforward, rustic charm of the appellation. The diversity of the domaine’s terroirs allows Meix Foulot to produce a consistent, harmonious wine year in, year out. The grapes are fully destemmed, vinified with native yeast over 2-3 weeks, with malos completing by May or June. 40% of the wine is aged in cuve and 60% in barrels (aged from 2-5 years). The wine is bottled 16-18 months after harvest.

Aged in a modest 20% new oak, this bottling combines holdings in the premier crus Les Byots and Les Montaigus between 20 and 45 years of age; Byots contributes structure and power, and the higher-altitude Montaigus adds spice and refinement. Open-knit, fine, and notably spice-driven, this premier cru offers phenomenal value.

The 1er Cru “Saumonts” comes from a 1.1 hectare site.  The juice from this vineyard was first bottled as a separate cuvée in the 2000 vintage.  The vineyard is situated at the summit of a small amphitheatre with full southern exposure.  The vines are, on average, 40 years old and the red-tinted soil (salmon-colored, thus the name “Saumonts”) is composed largely of clay and sand.  This is a wine of great distinction and restraint with silky tannins and cherry-like fruit with an intriguing touch of rusticity.

The “Veleys” is situated on a steeply sloping, southeast facing vineyard with extremely low yields (averaging 35 hectoliters per hectare). This parcel is divided into four pieces: one part planted in 1983; a second planted in 1964; a third planted in 1957; and the oldest section planted in 1947. In its entirety, “Les Veleys” encompasses 1.5 hectares with annual production of approximately 450 cases.  For us, the “Veleys” is the most classic representation of the terroir of Mercurey with strength, persistence and a hint of the “animal”.  It is certainly one of the longest-lived of the wines of this appellation.  We consistently request that this cuvée be bottled in magnum.

Always the most regal and elegant of the quartet of reds from the domaine, this comes from a monopole of the domaine. The “clos” is 1.9 hectares. Many different soil types are within this site and the age of the vines varies, with parts of the vineyard planted in 1989, 1986, 1980, 1964, and 1955. Production is in the neighborhood of 575 cases per annum. Curiously, the vineyard faces north-northeast but this exposure works to produce a wine of great finesse with superb aging potential. Habitually, this wine is marked by exuberant notes of wild berries and a lively presence on the palate, the firm tannins giving excellent length and persistence. We consistently request this cuvée in magnum.