Marchand and Burch 2008 Mersault

From one of the top white wine villages in the Cote de Beaune, grapes for this wine were hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, and then slowly fermented in small French barrels using wild yeast with no stirring of lees. This has produced a wine with a linear palate structure - substance and mouthfeel without heaviness. Fine and tight with lots of minerality and very long on the finish. Pure Meursault but in a fresher style.

Typical Meursaults tend to be very full, mellow wines and mature somewhat sooner than the wines from the neighbouring communes of Puligny and Chassagne. The wine is full in the mouth and well-structured showing exotic fruitiness and a nutty, spicy character. It can be drunk when young but patience is amply repaid.

French Collection tasting notes, David LeMire MW, 14 October 2009 "Marchand and Burch has made a big impression in a short time. Now the attention turns to Burgundy, where Pascal, in his small cellar in Nuits-St-Georges, looks after the Cote d'Or outpost of Marchand and Burch, searching out climats that meet his standards. Mostly, they will be vineyards belonging to long-time friends and colleagues, who Pascal can work with to manage the vines, using his knowledge and experience of biodynamics to get the best from the terroir.

Armadale Cellars Price: $89.95