Domaine Gouffier Mercurey La Charmée 2016
The Domaine Gouffier Mercurey La Charmée has great depth of flavour showing chunky plum fruits combined with coffee beans and a peppery finish.
Producer Note - Domaine Gouffier owns five and a half hectares of vineyard in the villages of Fontaines and Mercurey in Côte Chalonnaise. The domain has been run by the Gouffier family for generations until Jerome Gouffier handed over the reins to his close friend Frédéric Gueugneau, formerly at La Chablisienne. Since 2011, Frédéric and oenologist Benoît Pagot have brought about a new style of winemaking to the domain. They follow an organic philosophy to create wines that are modern, approachable and affordable, but with all the style and panache of good Burgundy. They have created a collection of wines of outstanding originality, verve and spirit.
Vintage - 2016 was a challenging vintage with spells of hail, frost and mildew. However, warm weather throughout the latter part of the growing cycle resulted in a harvest which winemaker Frédéric has called a classic vintage, with the wines showing a good balance between sugar and acidity. Vineyard Mercurey is a village in the Côte Chalonnaise subregion of Burgundy. The Pinot Noir vines are planted on a loamy golden soil with a high iron content, which results in textured wines with a deep colour. The climate is continental, with warm summers and cold winters and excellent diurnal temperature differences. The vineyard is cultivated using organic preparations and the use of chemical herbicides is strictly prohibited. The vines are carefully managed between the spring and summer months to ensure optimal conditions for healthy, mature grapes at harvest time; with strict debudding, leaf thinning and ploughing of the soil.
Winemaking -The grapes were hand-picked at optimum maturity and carefully selected in the cellar. 30% of the fruit was vinified as whole bunches as the stems help to stabilise the colour and impart structure to the wine. A cool maceration was followed by fermentation in barrels of 228 litres, one third of which was new. 15% of stems were put back into the fermentation barrels to support the fruit and impart structure to this fleshy wine. Winemaker Frédéric uses oak judiciously, in order not to overpower the purity of the fruit. Domaine Gouffier has been experimenting with using oak from the state forests of Fontaine, just a few miles from the vines, endeavouring to stay true to the local terroir.
Tasting Note - Bright aromas of redcurrant, raspberry combine with a hint of citrus, bringing a touch of freshness. A great depth of flavour is complemented by sweet spice on the finish.
Grape Pinot Noir 100%
Winemaker: Frédéric Gueugneau
Region: Burgundy Sub region: Mercurey Country: France
Alcohol: 13%
BodyValue: B (A is light, E is full bodied)
Residual Sugar: 0.4
Contains Sulphites: Yes
Vegetarian/Vegan: Yes/Yes
Milk/Eggs: No/No
Organic/Biodynamic No/No
