The day I truly fell in love with wine was the day I opened a bottle of 2010 Domaine de Villaine Les Montots Mercurey. It was the best wine I had ever drank, and began an obsession with Burgundy, with Pinot Noir, with amazing wine created through traditional, natural and biodynamic methods. Since that day I have been trying to get my hands on more De Villaine Mercurey, and finally we were able to get three cases, the only three cases to come to Maine in the last five years.
To understand Domaine De Villaine, you have to understand the man who started the Domaine and who guides its winemaking. Aubert De Villaine's dayjob is as the winemaker at Domaine de la Romanee Conti. Many will argue the wine that comes from Aubert's dayjob is the best in the world, with bottles going for $5,000-$20,000. When Aubert married, his wife wanted to live far enough away from the pressure of DRC so they could create a life together. They settled on Bouzeron, and bought a run down Domaine. Creating the wine at Domaine de Villaine was more of a hobby, and they planted vineyards in both Aligote (a white varietal) and Mercurey (Pinot Noir). The Mercurey is what we have to share with you.
Aubert de Villaine uses the same methods and practices that he follows at DRC when making wine at Domaine De Villaine including fermentation with the stems in wood barrels or cuves. The vines are 40-50 years old and planted in a combination clay and limestone. This is natural wine because it is the way it has always been done, not to fit in to any current trend or zeitgeist. Obviously the terroir of the vineyards in Mercurey is different than in Romanee Conti, but at my budget, these are the closest I will get to a bottle of Domaine de la Romanee Conti anytime soon.
These bottles drink amazingly well young (we just opened a beautiful bottle over the weekend from this vintage), they are also known to age very well. This will drink well for 5-15 years depending on cellar conditions. Decanter Magazine gives the drinking window on this vintage as 2020-2040. Amazing notes of wild berries, juicy cherry and chalky soil, with a firm, rich structural chassis of crunchy tannin and acidity.
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