Le Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France
2 stars in the guide
François Raquillet has excelled at Mercurey since 1990, with wines of exemplary quality and fine consistency that age very well. The handover is under way: his daughter Jeanne has been at the estate since 2018, and converting to organic farming is among their next challenges. In the cellar the estate has chosen destemming and cold pre-fermentation macerations. With an average of one third new barrels each year, a few slightly insistent ageings could be adjusted, particularly on the whites, which remain rather technical.
The wines: bright fruit in the white Vieilles Vignes, nuanced and spicy, quite delicate in texture. The mark of the oak is insistent in La Brigadière, which lacks a little freshness. Les Veleys is more convincing, stripped of its oak, with a solid lemony grip and armed to age. In red, the supple volume and gripping tannins of the Mercurey give it relief. Rather strict, the Vieilles Vignes cuvée lacks generosity. Vignes des Chazeaux shows riper, brighter fruit, but its pervasive ageing weighs the finish down too much. More firmness in Les Combins, vigorous and tight, with a lactic note showing on the finish. Enriched by the spicy support of its oak, Clos Paradis is balanced, juicy and supple. Structured, Les Naugues is firm, deep and measured: it opens with air, built on juicy tannins, well filled out on the finish. More relaxed, ample and incisive, Les Vasées outclasses its peers: blackberry notes, well-integrated oak and a vigorous length are so many notable qualities.
Blancs