Domaine Belleville Mercurey 1er Cru Clos l'Eveque Rouge 2020 750ml
Winery Notes:
MERCUREY 1ER CRU "CLOS L'EVÊQUE"
- FINE AND COMPLEX -
Pinot Noir 100%
Age: 50 years
13 %vol.
16 months in barrel
35% new barrel
Optimal drinking: 8 years
THIS "CLIMAT" -
In 1548, this large plot belonged to the bishops (evêque in French) of Chalon and kept the name "Clos L'Evêque"
TERROIR -
Clay-limestone terroir with a predominance of limestone over the entire slope which makes it both wonderfully balanced and delightfully complex. Care: Variable pruning to reflect requirements of the top, middle and bottom of the slope
TASTING -
Appearance : Nice deep profound ruby robe, limpid and brilliant
Bouquet : Open and pleasant aromas of wild red and black berries (blackberries) highlighted with peppery notes
In the mouth : Powerful and firm, nicely balanced, full of fruits with a long finish
....
Other Reviews:
VW: "Stunning value for money! Full body, sophisticated, and deliciously well balanced!" So sought after that sadly we could only get 48 btls of the 2020 for NZ.
"The 2019 Mercurey Clos l’Evêque 1er Cru has a very winsome and pure bouquet with Morello cherries, raspberry preserve and light rose petal scents. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins, very well judged acidity, maybe showing a little too much polished new oak towards the finish. Overall, this is undeniably suave and sensual, a Mercurey that thinks it comes from around Vosne-Romanée! - Drink 2022 - 2030 " -- Neal Martin , Jan 2021
Domaine Belleville comprises 10.5ha in Rully and 5.5ha in Mercurey, with a further 2ha of vineyards in Gevrey, Chambolle-Musigny, Puligny Montrachet and Santenay.
In total the estate owns holdings in six Rully Premier Cru, with an additional Premier Cru (Clos l’Evêque) in Mercurey. Four more Rully wines are bottled as separate lieu-dit, together with five lieu-dit from Mercurey. Vitoux notes that the estates objective is to focus on just one plot and to respect and express terroir diversity.
Domaine Belleville was purchased in 2017 by Denise Dupré and Mark Nunnelly – two American wine-lovers – and Jean-Luc Vitoux, an ex-wine law lawyer who was born in Champagne.
Although Dupré and Nunnelly reside in the US, they have many investments in the hospitality sector across France such as the Royal Champagne hotel in Champillon; Champagne house Leclerc Briant in Epernay; and the hotel/restaurant Le Chateau de la Commarine in Pommard.
The team at Belleville is headed up by young winemaker Charles Nebout, an oenologist and son of a winegrower in Saint Pourçain. The estate is in the process of converting to organic, with the first ‘organic’ harvest taking place in 2018.
Other improvements are being made to aid the focus on terroir expression and quality. All white grapes are now transported from vineyard to winery in small boxes, before pressing and fermentation in stainless steel. Post-fermentation, white wines are generally aged for 8-12 months with a maximum of 25 barrels used. Red wines are nearly all de-stemmed, before 10-14 months ageing with 25-30% new wood. In total the estate produces around 100,000 bottles.
