Rully, Mercurey and Givry
A wonderful vintage of unheralded wines
The Cote Chalonnaise is an unfairly overlooked area of Burgundy. It overflows with growing and winemaking talent and has a lot of superb terroirs. But it is a bit of a schlep from Beaune and so it is often overlooked by people who claim to be Burgundy lovers and clearly ought to know better. On your drive south the first of these magical villages one encounters is Rully. Quite a sleepy little town with apparently scarcely any inhabitants it is surrounded by great vineyards and has excellent producers. Marie and Paul Jacqueson are a daughter and father combo who are quiet and modest, but whose wines are brilliantly expressive. Their 2015s are rich and fresh in the style of the vintage.
Mercurey is your second stop and is a little more bustly than Rully. In the past it was saddled with the label of rustic, but things change and these days the terroir is premium and the winemaking shows it off really well. Francois Raquillet is one of the leading growers in the village and his raw materials and the alchemy used to transform it into vinous gold have always been top class. We've worked with him for ages and visits are as entertaining as the wines are excellent. Vincent Charton is brand new to our portfolio. We tasted his wines recently and staff demand was overwhelming, so we are proud to introduce him to you. Vincent looks twelve, is in his twenties and makes wine as intelligently and finely as any of our highly regarded and impossible-to-source Cote de Nuits heroes.
Finally, our most southern stop is Givry. The Lumpps built their domaine from scratch and their total focus on quality is at times a little unnerving, but incredibly rewarding. If ever a family should be given vineyards to play with in Vosne or Gevrey it is them. Easily the best producers in Givry, their wines are complex and terroir-driven and we love them. And they continue the Chalonnaise theme of fantastic value for your money. /CW
