2012 Domaine A. & P. de Villaine Mercurey Les Montots

Domaine A. & P. de Villaine in Bouzeron is owned and operated by Aubert de Villaine and his wife Pamela. Aubert de Villaine is an heir to the DRC domaine and is still co-owner and co-director of DRC. The couple bought property in Bouzeron, an appellation between Chassange-Montrachet and Rully in the Cote Chalonnaise, in the 1970s and were instrumental in advocating for the creation of a Bouzeron appellation in 1997. Aligote is the premier grape grown in Bouzeron, and A. & P. de Villain has Aligote parcels in Bouzeron, as well as Chardonnay in Rully and Pinot Noir in Mercurey. The domain has 50 acres altogether. Clive Coates has written that Aubert de Villaine “produces some of the best generic wines in Burgundy.”

Mercurey, the appellation, includes the communes of Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu, and it is the largest of the Côte Chalonnaise appellations by size and production. Mercurey takes its name from the Roman god Mercurey, who was a winged messenger and the god of commerce. The appellation includes nearly 1,600 acres of vineyards, of which 95% is planted to Pinot Noir and 5% to Chardonnay. Though there are no Grand Crus, there are 32 Premier Cru vineyards. Robert M. Parker Jr. wrote several decades ago that Mercurey was “the appellation of the future in the Côte Chalonnaise” because of relatively high quality wines offered at good value. Prices have crept up, but Clive Coates has noted more recently that “Mercurey is the most structured of the Chalonnaise reds wines…At its best, it is rich and ample though, with a certain earthiness…”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.