Product Profile
Domaine du Meix-Foulot, Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Château de Montaigu 2005
Medium Bodied, Dry, Red, Pinot Noir, Drink now or cellar, 13% alc.
Tasting Notes
The appellation Mercurey 1er Cru, “Clos du Château de Montaigu” encompasses one parcel roughly 1.9 hectares in size, surrounded by walls dating back to the vestiges of the Château de Montaigu. These vines are 35 years old on average. The soil is clayey limestone.
Once picked, the grapes are destemmed and stored in the tank for fermentation lasting approximately 12 days, accompanied by much treading or pumping-over. The wine is then racked in barrels, 20% of which are renewed each year. Barrel ageing lasts about 18 months, and the blending step is immediately followed by bottling.
The Mercurey 1er Cru "Clos du Château de Montaigu" is always rich in color and extremely solid. This wine is built to be aged. The bouquet exudes intense aromas of wild berries and blackcurrant. Most vintages also release a hint of spice. This vintage offers a lingering finish and matures nicely when aged.
Tasting note: A very mild touch of reduction detracts from the expressiveness of the otherwise pretty red berry fruit and subtle spice aromas that precede the rich, full and still tight big-bodied flavours that possess serious volume and plenty of underlying muscle, all wrapped in a textured and overtly structured finish that makes it quite clear that this is built to age. It will need at least a decade to be at its best and perhaps longer. A great Mercurey.
(Outstanding - 92 Points - Drink 2010+ Allen Meadows - Burghound)
Producer
Domaine du Meix-Foulot
The Domaine du Meix-Foulot has been in the hands of the
de Launay family for multiple generations. Paul de Launay took the reins during the 1960s and now his daughter, Agnes, begins her tenure as proprietaire. This is one of the most picturesque of Burgundian domaines: situated high on a hill overlooking the entirety of Mercurey and surrounded by the gently sloping vineyards of the estate. It is one of the most important domaines in Mercurey with an imposing collection of vineyards that capture the full range of this under appreciated appellation.