Cart 0 items: $0.00

SHIPPING INCLUDED(on case quantities, Continental USA).

burgundywine.com

TOP
Type
Red Wine

Domaine Jean Marechal Bourgogne 2019

Appellation
Bourgogne
Region
Cote Chalonnaise
Vintage
2019
In Stock
Add To Cart
$39.00
 
SKU: EJMA01R-19
Overview

Assembled from wine from two different parcels of appellation Bourgogne that are situated in the limits of Mercurey, you could call this a ‘little Mercurey’, the terroir and black fruits so resemble the village appellation. Severe pruning limits the yields (45hl/ha) reinforces the deep Pinot character of the fruit.

Winemaker
Vintage

BURGUNDY 2019 VINTAGE

There’s a popular saying here in Burgundy which points out that, since the start of the 20th century, vintages ending in ‘9’ have been exceptional. So when 2019 came around, we were secretly anticipating something special. Little did we know!

Every vintage comes with its own hyperbole: best of the decade; greatest of the century; another 1990. And it’s true, as the climate continues to warm, there has been some remarkable wine produced in recent years. But in Burgundy in 2019, it got hot.

Both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay like to come to maturity slowly. Too much heat cooks the elegance out of them. So climate change is an existential issue for Burgundy wine as we know it.

But in 2019 something remarkable happened. I hesitate to call it a paradigm shift; it may well be a one-off. But in a year where, in some places, grapes turned to raisins on the vine, Burgundy has given us a vintage worthy of the hyperbole.

You won’t find many lacey, delicate wines this year. The vintage will be unapologetically bold and unbelievably concentrated. The whites are indulgent, often explosive, and pinned to a mind-bogglingly good acidic framework, given the summer heat. The reds are sophisticated and elegant, alive.

Perhaps most tellingly, despite the hot summer, this was not one of those late-August harvests that we’re getting accustomed to. The harvest got underway in the Cote de Beaune on 12 September. And some in the Cote de Nuits did not begin picking until the 23rd. The fruit was ripe earlier, but the fine conditions allowed the growers to wait for the holy grail: phenolic maturity.

You rarely get fruit maturity (the sugar part of the equation) plus phenolic maturity (the tannins in the pips and stems) coming together at the same time. Usually you sacrifice one for the other. You can’t force it to happen. Nature bestows it upon you. But when it does happen, that, almost by definition, is a great vintage.

2019 will be a great vintage. Think 2018 with more energy. The only downside is that, as opposed to the bumper crop we saw in 2018, 2019 was a small crop. Down by as much as 60% in the southern zones where it was hottest.

Let’s look quickly at how the season developed. The winter 2018/19 was mild, with higher than average temperatures in December and February. There was a lot of rain in December which many claim could ultimately have saved the vintage from the summer’s drought.

Spring was warm and the growth cycle started earlier than usual. There were precocious zones with bud burst in early April. But cold weather set in on 5 April with frost in many areas. Frost damage would have an effect on yields, particularly in the Maconnais. The cold weather held on through mid-April with several consequential frost risks.

Warm weather returned in May and remained until early June when temperatures dropped again, slowing growth again and hindering flowering. There was a good bit of flower abortion (millerandage), which, again, took its part of the yield at harvest.

Then mid-summer was hot-hot And dry-dry. The vines, for the most part, were in good shape going into the heat wave, but the stress was excessive. Vines handled the conditions differently from one plot to the next. Consensus is that old vines, with their deep roots, were able to find water in the subsoil. And that younger, well-tended vines, had a similar advantage. Vines with roots that went looking for water near the surface, however, suffered towards the end of the season, as they scorched and shriveled.

There was just a bit of rain in August, and from then on through September was hot but fine. In certain areas Pinot Noir ripened before Chardonnay, so harvest planning was complicated. The first Cremant vineyards were picked at the very end of August, and the harvest continued through to mid-October.

Harvest was a joy for the most part. Good weather. No disease. And the fruit that survived frost and fire was beautiful. Fermentation in both white and red went off easily. Whites finished slowly, gently, giving balance and purity. The length of red fermentation varied a lot, but the tannins are fine and the wine has vigor.

Appellation

MERCUREY

COTE CHALONNAISE

Mercurey, situated in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise (12 kilometres from Chalon-sur-Saône) is one the foremost appellations of Bourgogne. Protected from moisture-bearing winds, tucked away in its hillsides or stretched along the aptly named Val d’Or (Golden Valley) the vineyards stretch as far as the neighboring village of Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu. The AOC status was instituted in 1923.Reunited by means of fellowship of the Chanteflûte, created in 1971, the local winemakers are dedicated to enjoying the wines of Mercurey and promoting them to the world.

Wines

Mercurey red is a deep, profound ruby. This crisp wine evokes strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. Age brings in notes of underbrush, spicy tobacco notes and cocoa beans. The palate is rich, full-bodied, and chewy. In its youth, the tannins of this wine lend it a mineral firmness. When aged, it is attractively rounded.

White

Mercurey is a typical Chardonnay gold, it varies in its degree of paleness and is flecked with green. It has floral aromas mayflower and acacia, with, hazelnut, almond, and cinnamon and pepper spice). A touch of flint is a trademark of this wine.

Terroirs

The vines grow at heights of 230 to 320 metres. They spread over marls and marly calcic soils of Oxfordian limestone. On the eastern side, they grow in calcic and marly soils. In the west crystalline Jurassic rocks are overlain by gravels. Part of the vineyards belong to the Bathonien. On these white limey soils and red clays, the vines are truly at home.

Color

White Wines – Chardonnay

Red Wines – Pinot Noir

Production surface area

1 hectare (ha) = 2.4 acres

Reds: 548.68 ha (including 153.80 ha Premier Cru)

Whites: 84.59 ha (including 14.71 ha Premier Cru)

Food

Red: rich, meaty and solidly put together, Mercurey brings out the best from beef rib steaks, or joints of beef or lamb, braised or in sauce. Roast pork is well suited to its rich aromas, as are poultry-based stews. Exotic dishes likewise are good partners for this wine. As for the cheeseboard, this wine harmonizes equally well with either mild, soft cheeses or aged versions

White: its spicy and floral bouquet and juicy appeal let it partner grilled fish or fish in sauce, cooked seafood, asian cuisine, and hard cheeses. White Mercurey can also make a excellent aperitif.

Appellation

Premier Cru

Clos de Paradis

Clos des Barraults

Clos des grands Voyens

Clos des Myglands

Clos Marcilly

Clos Tonnerre

Clos Voyens

Grand Clos Fortoul

Griffères

La Bondue

La Cailloute

La Chassière

La Levrière

La Mission

Le Clos du Roy

Le Clos l'Evêque

Les Byots

Les Champs Martin

Les Combins

Les Crêts

Les Croichots

Les Fourneaux

Les Montaigus

Les Naugues

Les Puillets

Les Ruelles

Les Saumonts

Les Vasées

Les Velley

Sazenay

Lieux Dits

Bourg Bassot

Bourg-Neuf

Chamirey

Champ Ladoy

Champ Pillot

Champ Roin

Clos Château de Montaigu

Clos des Hayes

Clos Fortoul

Clos Rochette-Mauvarennes

Creu de Montelons

En Boussoy

En Grillot

En Pierre Milley

En Theurot

Es Montelons

Etroyes

Garnerot

La Brigadière

La Charmée

La Chiquette

La Corvée

La Creuse

La Croix Rousse

La Perrière

La Pillotte

La Plante Chassey

Le Bois Cassien

Le Bourg

Le Clos la Marche

Le Clos Laurent

Le Clos Rond

Le Closeau

Le Crêt

Le Fourneau

Le Meix de la Guinarde

Le Meix Foulot

Le Meix Frappé

Le Puits Brintet

Le Saut Muchiau

Les Bacs

Les Berlands-Framboisière

Les Bois de Lalier

Les Bosebuts

Les Bussières

Les Caraby

Les Caudroyes

Les Chaumellottes

Les Chavances

Les Cheneaults

Les Creux

Les Doués

Les Marcoeurs

Les Montelons

Les Montots

Les Morées

Les Morins

Les Murgers

Les Mussiaux

Les Noiterons

Les Obus

Les Plantes

Les Pronges

Les Rochelles

Les Varennes

Les Vaux

Les Vignes Blanches

Les Vignes d'Orge

Les Vignes de la Bouthière

Les Vignes des Chazeaux

Les Villeranges

Meix Adenot

Mipont Château

Ropiton

Sarrazine

Touches

Vigne de Maillonge

Vignes du Chapître

Add To Cart
$39.00
 
SKU: EJMA01R-19
Continue Shopping
Sign up for inside offers, Burgundy News, and Special Promotions!