CHÂTEAU DE MERCEY
BOURGOGNE HAUTES-CÔTES DE BEAUNE CHARDONNAY 2016
CHÂTEAU DE MERCEY
BOURGOGNE HAUTES-CÔTES DE BEAUNE CHARDONNAY 2016
History
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune parcels are lyre-shaped. This technique allows the sun to shine within the vine rows and ensures quick ripening and prevents diseases.
Grape variety
Vinification and maturing
Grapes were harvested by hand and put into 16 kg capacity boxes, to avoid bruising or crushing. Once at the winery, the grapes go in a bladder press:
squeezed from the inside of the press, they receive an equal amount of pressure, ensuring the best quality of juice with a minimal exposure to oxygen. Then, the must is racked for 16 to 24 hours in a cold tank to be clarified before starting the fermentation process.
Once the alcoholic fermentation is achieved, the wine is casked for an 8-month ageing period in 228 Liters oak barrels on thin lees. Stirring is occasional (twice a month) until the malolactic fermentation. It prevents the wine from oxydation and helps developing complex aromas.
To complete the ageing process, we use a proportion of 20% new barrels to give more structure to the wine and bring fullness.
The malolactic fermentation is completed at 100%.
Tasting notes
Nose : floral (linden) with light elegant wood.
Palate : a floral attack with aromas of white flesh fruits and almonds flavors. A delicious, tasty wine on minerality.
Wine and food pairing
Ageing potential
Serving temperature
Vintage : 2016
As the saying goes, nothing is a foregone conclusion, and the climate in Burgundy for this vintage comes as a proof of its accuracy.
A rather mild winter made us think we would have an early vintage. But even if we knew we would go through the now traditional climatic hazards, we were far from the truth! Actually, the whims of the weather were so important that we worried a lot. Indeed, spring played havoc with our nerves with a rollercoaster of frost, rainfalls and cold, bringing its share of diseases in the vineyards. We had to fight hard against the threat of mildew, botrytis and even oïdium in the end.
Luckily for us, summer was quite sunny and made up for the hard times. Another evidence that patience and perseverance are the keys which solve everything, and that a bad start is in no case an indication of the final result. Finally, this vintage was exhausting with a late harvest but the low yields and a sunny summer helped getting beautiful ripe grapes with a great aromatic potential.
Harvest started with the sun on September, 22nd and lasted until October, 7th. Grapes were ripe and healthy, in variable amounts depending on the plots, as some of them suffered from the frosting that occurred in spring.
White grapes had good natural degrees when harvested; the wines are still ageing but already show great fruitiness and elegance.
Vinifying the red grapes was finally a real pleasure, as quality was good. The wines already bear beautiful colors and good tannins that promise a full-bodied seductive result.