This village of Mercurey is located in the Côte Chalonnaise, south of the Côte de Beaune (10 miles south of Chassagne Montrachet). This region is one of the emerging areas of Burgundy. Wines are often excellent value for money because they don't have the world-wide reputations of the Côte d'Or wines, but they use the noble Chardonnay grape for whites and traditional Burgundian methods.

This wine, a Mercurey village 1997, is a pleasant definition of drinkability. We find it nicely oaky but not overly so, a touch of honey and almonds - all in all a very pleasant nose. It is aged in 20% new oak for 10 months. The acidity/alcohol/oak is very well balanced. It is full bodied for a Mercurey and is ready to drink now.

The makers of this wine are Michel Juillot and his son Laurent, who joined his father in the family business (which has been passed on for the past 30 generations - since 1404!!) after travelling the globe for a year and participating in 6 harvests worldwide: two in the US, two in Australia, one in New Zealand, and one in Burgundy. His thoughts on the trip: "I traveled to see what was happening elsewhere and it is good to know that we are going in the right direction. I came home reassured! My trip gave me the experience and the self-assurance to react correctly in the wine-making process."

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Price per bottle: 85.00FF