Like both the 2015 Aligoté and the 2015 Givry tastings in this month’s report, all was done blind here. After tasting I took the dossier home that contained the technical info relating to each wine – only at this stage putting note and the name of the wine together. We have just over 30 wines – villages, 1er Cru, red and white. There are some really great values here in Mercurey 2015 – red Mercurey – I found the whites largely average, I’m afraid!
The wines…
To start, 11 villages wines:
2015 Domaine Belle Ville, Mercurey Les Perrières
Medium colour. There is some perfume here also something a little more resinous. Weight, fat, silky texture – there is a lot of wine here for a villages. Plenty of oak flavour in the finish too. I can list many positives, but it is far from an ensemble today. Time in the glass and this comes together, the resin is gone, but it remains quite an oaky wine for the label.
2015 Domaine de la Monette, Mercurey Les Chavances
Medium, medium-plus colour. Here is a nose of more freshness, tighter in width. Brighter wine, a little reduction, hence darker fruit. There is a more overt tannin here, but with a tasty mid-palate and finish. Very good wine!
2015 Albert Bichot, Mercurey En Pierre Milly – Domaine d’Adélie
Medium, medium-plus colour. A more open aromatic, a little mineral almost tending towards kerosine. Fresh, more energy, a modest base of tannic texture, lip-smacking finishing flavour. It’s an odd fruit, redolent of the nose, but it’s tasty wine for all that.
2015 Ferriera-Campos, Mercurey Clos d’Etroye
A more modest, medium colour. A wide and slightly mineral nose again – no kerosine this time. Round but at the same time nicely fresh. There’s a growing weight of red-fruited mid-palate flavour and the finish is very nice. A wine that gets better and better as you near the end!
Medium, medium-plus colour. Clean, fresh and attractive nose. Direct, tasty red fruit, slowly building in intensity, then slowly decaying in the finish. Clean, correct, delicious! A modest oak note holding the longest.
2015 Vincent Charton, Mercurey ‘Chapitu’
Medium, medium-plus colour. Quite a deep, darker fruited nose with a little herb accompaniment. Good volume in the mouth, freshness of fruit here with more overt texture from the tannin. Holding very long in the finish. Certainly a little more rustic versus the last but lots of fun too. Yum!
Medium, medium-plus colour. A nose of fresh, dark cherry stones – very attractive. There’s plenty of tannin here, but really it’s a very fine fruit flavour in the middle. Fine mouth-watering finish – villages Mercury to cellar? Certainly wait a year or too but this is super.
Medium, medium-plus colour. Deep, darker fruited but attractive and clean nose. Wide, fresh, good energy and extra flavour as you swallow. A little structure too. Excellent!
Medium, medium-plus colour. Attractive, forward, dark-fruited nose. Lithe, good energy, a growing mid-palate intensity – there’s some oak here too. Good texture and finishes well. Again a finely executed wine and very yum!
2015 Cave des Vignerons de Buxy, Mercurey Buissonier
Medium colour. More perfumed than most, also some herb in the background of this red fruited wine. Good volume in the mouth, easier wine than the last couple, perhaps more villages ‘level’ but there’s good structure and a little lip-smacking finishing flavour. Good.
2015 Antonin Rodet, Mercurey
Medium, medium-plus colour. This nose is a little tighter – but the base of fruit is quite attractive. Lots of volume, easy red fruit, but mouth-watering and with a modest structure. Like the last wine, easy villages but it’s very well-made too – no issues like the first few wines in this series. Yum!
The Premier Crus…
2015 Domaine Belle Ville, Mercurey 1er Clos l’Evêque
Not a lot more than medium colour. Deep, simmering red fruit – tighter above – but it holds my interest. Good volume, a hint of fat to the texture just a little extra depth of fruit flavour in the mid-palate. Very red fruited and well-made in its style i.e. round, fat and red!
Medium, medium-plus colour. A quite large and very finely fruited nose – a great invitation. In the mouth this is supple, layered, has a little blocky tannin – but no grain – and has a fine weight of ripe but never cumbersome fruit. Long finishing with a little cherry-stone flavour. Super!
Medium, medium-plus colour. Here is depth of aroma and some herb. Plenty of volume in the mouth, a base of structure but almost no grain to the tannin. Darker-red fruit, and nice layers of mouth-watering of that fruit in the finishing flavours. Plenty of weight here and a well-made wine. Worth a little patience – the ending note is a little barrel cream!
Only a little more than medium colour. Good depth of flavour and it’s much redder fruit than the last wine. Again very red fruited with a good line of flavour despite its volume. Except for the finish where this has a fine complexity, it’s not unlike many of the villages – but you pay for this finish! A very good wine.
Medium, medium-plus colour. Pretty red fruit, a hint darker than the last and with a nice conserve impression but purity at the same time. Super volume in the mouth – very red, delicious complexity. Fine balance and lovely complexity in the, today, slightly drying finish. Delicious!
Medium-plus colour. A nose of concentrated fruit – edged with an accent of herb. Lithe, great line of flavour, darker red fruit, and a fine mouth-watering finish. I like the ‘drive’ very much here. Super!
2015 Domaine Ninot, Mercurey 1er Les Crèts
More medium colour. A nose that’s a little tight a little herb but the base of fruit is harder to penetrate. Wide, some freshness, an impression of lots of structure, a little less sweetness than most – more classic vintage style – also in the finish there is more herb but more as a compliment to the modest fruit. More a vin de garde style that I would advise some patience. The last notes in the finish are quite attractive…
Medium, medium-plus colour. A deep red nose – a little vibrant. Big in the mouth – lots of volume, great texture – all is framed in micro-grained tannin – an attractive accent of sour cherry to the ripe fruit. A big wine, and a wine that begs some cellar time – but an excellent wine!
Medium, medium-plus colour. A modest, herb-accented fruit here – but all the same it’s a nice invitation. Decent volume, good freshness of flavour and starting with super-fine texture before the tannin slowly starts to assert itself. Lots of flavour dimension in the mid-palate and into the finish. Another super wine to wait for – just a little more overt oak flavour in this finish – wait a couple of years and it should be gone.
2015 Philippe Garrey, Mercurey 1er Clos de la Montaigu
Medium, medium-plus colour. Plenty of high tones here – certainly an individual. Sweet, mouth-filling, a decent base of structure – the tannin completely ripe and only modestly grained. Very red fruit, particular in style. But very long too. Try it, you might like it! The last notes are more oaky but they will fade…
Medium, medium-plus colour. Faintly oaked, with a depth of red fruit – a fruit that becomes ever more beautiful – what clarity! Fresh, good volume – lots of energy. The tannin forms a micro-grained base to a wine that shows really well. Lots of weight of finishing interest with persistent darker fruited flavour. This is excellent.
Medium. Medium-plus colour. A good nose of red fruit, though it can’t compete with the last wine – maybe a little higher in alcohol? Wide on the palate, vibrant red fruit, layers of flavour, super mouth-watering flavour. Forget the nose, this is excellent and there is still a fine intensity of finishing flavour too – red fruited and delicious – bravo!
And the Mercurey Blancs…
2015 Domaine Belle Ville, Mercurey Blanc
Medium colour. Fresh, a hint of citrus and a good depth to the nose. Plenty of volume, there is balance despite the rather heavy weight of fruit that extends into the finish. The acidity rescues it from being ponderous. A big wine.
2015 Domaine de la Monette, Mercurey Blanc Les Obus
Also medium colour. Here the nose has a more attractive freshness – also with good depth – it’s an inviting nose. A little more mineral flavour, perhaps oak too but not the heaviness of fruit of the lst wine. A good finish with some phenolic texture – yum!
2015 Albert Bichot, Mercurey Blanc Champs Michaux Domaine Adélie
Medium colour. A little citrus skin above, tighter below. Bright fresh and here more mouth-watering than the first two wines. Still some oak in the mix bit really this comes close to the ‘refreshment’ that I need in a white. A good finish too. This is really quite good!
2015 Domaine Faiveley, Mercurey Blanc Clos Rochelle Monopole
Medium colour. Lots of depth to the nose. Hmm, this has really a great energy – more going on than for most wines. I’d still like a little more salivation, but there are good flavours and fine complexity here.
2015 Cave des Vignerons de Buxy, Mercurey Blanc Domaine de le Guiche
Medium colour. Hmm – quite attractive fresh citrus notes – the best yet. Also in the mouth, here is a nicely mouth-watering line of flavour. Lip-smacking finishing flavour too – the first wine that might have me taking the proverbial second glass. Very tasty wine.
2015 Philippe Garrey, Mercurey Blanc La Chagnée
Medium colour. A certain freshness, with a growing depth – quite attractive. Good width, almost a little fruit-stone flavour. A suggestion of minerality too. Long finishing. Just needs a little more zip, but there’s no doubting the depth of flavour.
2015 Antonin Rodet, Mercurey Blanc Domaine de le Premende
Medium colour. A little riper core of fruit yet still with an aromatic freshness. Quite fresh in the mouth too with a good line of flavour – ripe green fruit like lime. Lip-smacking finishing flavour. Quite good.
One Premier cru blanc:
2015 Antonin Rodet, Mercurey Blanc Domaine de le Premende
Freshness, some barrel – but spice not vanilla. Wide and fresh over the palate – quite a mineral impression. Still some layers of heavy fruit, but this is really quite good and maybe the first white that I might consider to drink – though colder than is normally recommended – good finishing complexity. Quite a tasty wine if lacking mouth-watering moreish-ness.