Mercurey Rouge "Le Balcon" 2023
Region: Côte Châlonnaise
Producer: Domaine de La Luolle
Purple. Jammy dark fruit and spice on the nose. Fine structure with a powdery, almost cocoa-like texture; velvety and peppery on the palate. Drink now or within 10 years.| Volume | 75.0 cl. |
| Grape Variety | 100% Pinot Noir |
| Drinking window | 2025-2035 |
| Serveren bij | Duck breast or roast duck, dry-aged beef, furred game, Époisses, mushroom pie or dark chocolate. |
| Alc. | 14.0% |
| Vinification | Very steep clay-limestone slope facing south-east; vines averaging 30 years, 35–40 hl/ha, hand-picked into small crates. Three weeks of sulphur-free vinification with indigenous yeasts, 20–40% whole bunches, the rest destemmed. Cold pre-fermentation maceration, moderate punching down. |
| Ripening | At least 12 months in French oak barrels (20% new). Only 1,500–2,000 bottles a year. |
The producer
Domaine de La Luolle
Halfway through their careers, Sandrine and Olivier Dovergne swapped their jobs for their own estate in Moroges, in the Côte Chalonnaise. Since 2017 they have farmed around eight hectares organically and biodynamically, mostly around Givry. Their Écume de Terre 2022 earned a Coup de Cœur in the 2026 Guide Hachette.