Today was a tasting of wines from the Cote Chalonnaise at the Tonnellerie de Mercurey.

There are four key areas in the Cote Chalonnais.

Bouzeron is famous mostly for their Bourgogne Aligote de Bouzeron, a fruity white wine with a clean finish. Most producers use goblet-pruning (not Guyot) to restrict the yields to 50-55 hl/ha. Fermentation takes place in vat with natural local yeasts.

Rully, which has 23 premier cru vineyards and is known for its white wines as well as being a center for Crémant sparkling wines production; Mercurey has 30 premier cru vineyards is the largest volume producer of the region, its wines being nearly all red; Givry has17 premier cru vineyards producing mostly red wines; and Montagny, produces only white wines in its 49 premier cru vineyards.

Unlike the other buffet lunches, where people mostly stood and ate quickly so they could get back to the tasting, guests drove (or took a bus) to a restaurant where an incredible, elegant sit-down buffet awaited tasters.

Bottles of wine were placed on the long, communal tables and everyone shared tastes.

That night, we were guests of negociant Jean-Marie De Champs, owner of Domaines et Saveurs Collection and a fascinating woman. I had met her earlier in November when she hosted a party for journalists and people in the trade at her apartment. This night, was a swank affair, with many of her top growers and others from the trade.

Jean Marie was in the marketing business when she got married and moved to Burgundy. She decided to learn about the vineyards and started her own business in the early nineties. As a negociant she look for good farmers.

To quote Jean-Marie pictured above right wearing a pink scarf), “if you work your land well on top soil you can have the best grapes. When you have the best grapes winemaking is easy and natural. I look for winemakers who use natural yeast and do not rush the wine. It is good to have the wine as natural as possible. The wine decides how it is to be handled."

Day 5: Cote de Beaune

This was a very busy day with the Grand Cru of Corton 2008 and white grand Cru of Corton-Charlemagne 2008, in addition to a presentation of Pommard and Pommard Premiers Cru, and the wines of Volnay and Meursault along with the wines of Santenay and Saint-Aubin. It was fun and enlightening and almost too intense a pleasure. Distances between the venues were considerable.

All in all, it was a spectacular time to experience the richness of this incredible area. The winemakers – even at the highest cru level – have a passion for their work and are very generous with their time to fans and journalists.

Read Day 1 Here
Read Day 2 Here
Read Day 3 here