Tasted with new winemaker (since April 2013) Anne-Laure Hernette in Mercurey at Rodet’s ‘head-office’, January 2014.

This is an early foray into the Côte Chalonnaise for me (with much more to come) was the producer Antonin Rodet, who exploit wines from Rully and Mercurey under two different labels; Château de Rully and Château de Mercey. Although there are also many négoce wines with Rodet labels, these two châteaux are ‘domaine’. The relative number of négoce wines is diminishing under the (new-ish) Boisset ownership, as Rodet will concentrate on their wines/vines of Chalonnaise.

The Château de Mercey is in Cheilly-lès-Maranges and produces wine from 48 hectares, a range of Mercurey and Côte de Beaune appellations such as Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Maranges and Santenay plus grapes for crémant. The Château de Rully label exploits the Rully vines of the Château on a long-term fermage basis. The labels are for the two Châteaux, only the neck-label (and back label) wear the Rodet name.

The whites:

2011 Château de Rully, Rully St.Jacques
Apparently these vines were refused a 1er label by the AOC, but the owners will keep trying. This is from a 1.5 hectare hillside plot.
Here is a wide, flirty, honey nose. Delicious sweet varietal fruit with an acid base that provides enough support. No tension, but tasty.

2012 Château de Rully, Rully St.Jacques
Bottled at the end of June, after 10 months elevage (10-12 months in 25% new oak is ‘normal’ for these wines).
The nose is less wide but to my nose finer – again with a modest honey note. Silky, with mouth-watering acidity. I find this much more mineral and interesting. The fruit-flavour is much less obvious than the 2011’s, but I like it more!

2011 Château de Rully, Rully 1er Clos de La Bressande (Monopole)
An interesting aroma of pear that’s been cut by agrumes. Silky, lovely texture. There’s clearly an extra dimension of flavour here and it holds longer in the finish too. Nice…

2012 Château de Rully, Rully 1er Clos de La Bressande (Monopole)
Aromatically, very similar to the 2011. Again there is silk, but the shape is just a little more lithe and energetic. There’s some minerality and salinity – a wine to think about as you drink it. Good length again.

2010 Château de Mercey, Mercurey
From a 3 hectare plot of vines.
It seems to me that this has a more obvious Chalonnaise nose; ripe with a little quince (perhaps!). Lovely acidity and minerality. It’s not super concentrated, but I like the flavour and freshness much more than the aromatique…

The reds:

2011 Château de Mercey, Bourgogne Haute Côte de Beaune
12 months of elevage; 80% in barrel, 20% in stainless steel tanks.
A nose of bright red fruit. The palate seems quite soft though there’s ripe-enough velvet tannin at the base. Finishes with good acidity and a stony note. The last drops in the glass have a lovely red fruit. (Selling from their tasting room @ €10.90 – seems very good value.)

2011 Château de Rully, Rully 1er Molesme
From a 3 hectare plot. Some village parcels are machine picked, the 1ers all by hand. Grapes are destemmed, and see 3 weeks in concrete fermentation tanks with a ‘light’ pigeage.
Red-fruited nose. In the mouth, fuller and rounder than the Bourgogne. An extra level of complexity only really shows in the finish. A little more grain on the tannin too. An okay 2011, but not a wine to make a special search for.

2011 Château de Mercey, Santenay
From a single parcel of vines.
A deeper nose of red fruit with a little spice too. Riper, mineral-edged fruit. Very good acidity and some tannic texture with hardly any astringency. Darker flavour in the finish. A good, well-constructed wine!

2011 Château de Mercey, Mercurey 1er En Sazenay
1.7 hectares of 60 year-old vines.
A wide nose that is quite ‘finessed’ and showing fine red fruit. Lovely, very lovely fruit flavour. You sense the underlying structure but the mouth-watering fruit has full control. Slightly mineral, pretty finish. I rather like this, but then it cost about €16+…

2011 Château de Mercey, Maranges 1er Clos Roussots
A red fruit nose with a hint of P. Finer fruit, that grows and grows in the mouth, borne on good acidity. The finish is a little thin, but quite long. Fine flashes of fruit – the best here – but a wine that I’d probably put in 3rd place from these 3 ‘Merceys’ today.