DOMAINE DE LA BRESSANDE MERCUREY

DOMAINE DE LA BRESSANDE MERCUREY 2016

click on one of the vintages below for further information

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

History

In the Cote Chalonnaise, birthplace of viticultural Burgundy, Mercurey is one of the oldest terroirs which has always enjoyed an excellent reputation. Mercurey is also the native village of Maison Antonin Rodet.

This appellation has 31 climates classified in "premiers crus". The reds are mainly represented with 535 hectares in production (133 Ha "premiers crus") and only 111 hectares for the whites (30 Ha in "premiers crus").

The estate vineyard extends around 33 hectares spread over the villages of Mercurey and Rully.

Grape variety

100% Pinot Noir.

Vinification and maturing

Harvest started in Mercurey the last week of September.
Grapes were handpicked and carefully sorted, then carried in 16kg boxes to protect them from crush and compaction.

Maceration lasted about 14 to 18 days in order to get wines with a deep color, complex aromas and as a consequence a good ageing potential.
Traditional vinification was then carried out in temperature-controlled concrete vats - to master the fermentation temperatures thanks to the great
inertia of concrete - with regular stirring and pumpings-over. Alternating those two methods is a good way to obtain balanced wines because the tannins are
not too much extracted.

Then, the wine was aged for 13 months including 12 months in oak barrels with 25% new oak.

Tasting notes

Colour : Deep and brillant red.
Nose : Flavours of red and black berries with lightly toasted notes.
Palate : A wine full of savoriness, carried by subtle and rounded tannins.

Wine and food pairing

Will be the perfect companion to poultry, roasted or grilled meats, delicatessen, savoury pies and soft cheese.

Ageing potential

3 to 5 years.

Serving temperature

Serve ideally at a temperature of 16 to 18°C.

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.

Vinifying the red grapes was finally a real pleasure, as quality was good. The wines now bear beautiful colors and good tannins with a full-bodied seductive result.