Tasted with Julien & Marion Bordet in Mercurey, 19 September 2022.
Domaine La Grange aux Sources
7 rue du Clos Rond
71640 Mercurey
You may remember Julien, the face of Faiveley’s operation in Mercurey for many years. Here he is now with his wife in their own new domaine. The cuverie was that of, Champion ballooner Guy Cinquin’s Domaine de l’Europe, Guy having recently decided to take up retirement.
This domaine consists today of 3 hectares of vines – none from Guy. The team’s aim? “We want to make wines to enjoy and to share!”
Julien & Marion on 2021
“In 2021 we didn’t have a full harvest but it was still a good one. It’s a later growing sector and we pruned late so that helped. Of course, by comparison, the 2022 year’s volume is super. All our 21s have been bottled. To start with – as it’s the first vintage – we are selling all our wine in France. It’s only been bottled since July and then we went for a short holiday before the harvest – so distribution is still a blank sheet of paper but half the wine exported would be a good balance – eventually! We did sell a little of our production in bulk in the first year so as not to have too much pressure to sell the bottles…”
The wines…
This looks like a super first vintage for this new domaine – and Julien has much experience in Mercurey. I would say a safe pair of hands for some delicious wines!
2021 Bourgogne Aligoté
This has a diam-style seal but it’s cork for all the others. ‘We love our aligoté and treat it as well as all the other wines – harvested a week later than all the other wines and with part barrel elevage.’
A warm, round, attractive nose. Direct, silky texture, a suggestion of mainly covered structure. Growing in mouthwatering style. Juicy with a nice mineral line in the finish. This is a very attractive wine.
2021 Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Cuvée Fordeveau
All destemmed here with all barrel elevage
That’s nicely plush with attractive ripe fruit – there’s a bit more here than many from the Côte de Beaune in 2021! Also super-silky – I like the mineral base and fresh dark fruit. Mineral in the finish – like the aligoté – dark flavoured here and still mouth-watering. A subtle suggestion of the barrel right at the end – give it 12-18 months and then enjoy… The last drops in the glass are becoming more floral.
2021 Mercurey Les Ormeaux
Fine top notes – a little narrower – but the base of aroma is wider and of more depth. There’s the exemplary texture of the previous wines – here with extra complexity and a little more intensity too. Fine vibrations to this finishing flavour – with the extra depth to the flavour I’d be happy to drink this already today – I really don’t see the 25% new oak that’s in here.