It’s arrived! From the famous Mercurey appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise subregion of Burgundy – the wine we have all been waiting for – the 2020 Mercurey, Ez Chênes Pinot Noir. From one of the best vintages in recent memory in Burgundy, this single vineyard wine comes from the small parcel 0.51ha purchased by Domaine Thomson in 2018. A sumputous wine in a rather savoury, fresh herb and floral style with a hint of charcuterie. Satisfyingly complex with more to come for those who choose to wait a few years.

Only 437 bottles produced.

Site: Our vineyard is located just above the hillside of Mercurey.

History and tradition: Mercurey has 640 hectares of AOP village and 1er Cru. Producing very great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Mercurey is a flagship appellation of the Cote Chalonnaise.

Soil: The soils of Mercurey are marly-clayey-limestone. With our location at the top of the slopes, we have a soil rich in silt and pebbles and with a lower proportion of clay.

Tasting

Cellaring potential : 5-7 years

Ideal Tasting Temperature: 16-18° C

Food & wine pairing : ripened cheese, grilled or candied meat

“Aromatic depth that increases as it opens, but this time with a light floral scent. It’s rather good, the aromas come by themselves on the tongue, beautifully structured with fine definition, as often in Mercurey. This wine surpasses a lot of Mercurey 1er crus. Bravo!” Bill Nanson – Burgundy Report
“Sweet red fruits. Really juicy with light notes of marzipan. Beautiful roundness and nice freshness in the finish.” Sarah Marsch

Vintage Report

The 2019 vintage in Burgundy will be remembered for its intense fruit, firm structure and supple texture with wines that are rich but show remarkable balance despite the heat.
Low yields and the heat combined to concentrate both acidity and sugar in the grapes, allowing both reds and whites to maintain a very fine balance of richness and structure.

Mercurey, Ez Chênes  by PM Chan

Mercurey is one of the best-known red wine villages in the Côte Châlonnaise. The Côte Châlonnaise starts where the Côte de Beaune comes to an end, however, it is in a different département of Burgundy, which is the Saône-et-Loire. In terms of getting there, it is some distance from Gevrey-Chambertin, but the drive as ever, is very beautiful, winding through historic villages. Perhaps it is my imagination, but I have the impression that the Soane-et-Loire is a rolling green country, the green fields are flecked with white Charolais cattle, and fringed with old oaks. This is the land of plenty, it is the kingdom of the royal Bresse chicken, with its red crown, pure white body and blue legs, which is marvellous, cooked in cream and accompanied by Pinot Noir! I have been a fan of the spicy, raspberry flavour of Mercurey red wine for many years, so I was pretty excited when we had the chance to have some vines in Mercurey.

The Ez Chênes parcel is a lieu-dit AOC which lies to the south of the village of Mercurey. It is right on the Côte and the parcel runs up to a line of trees, which marks the beginning of a small forest that crowns the ridge. The gradient is relatively steep, and the vines have been planted running upwards in vertical lines. The soil is clay with small stones (argile-calcaire) and the drainage for this parcel is excellent given the slope profile.There is good protection from wind due to the tree line but also excellent sun as the vines are oriented in a south-easterly direction. The vines are around 50-60 years old.

Mercurey ‘Ez Chênes’, Pinot Noir 2020