Domaine Lorenzon, Mercurey 1er Cru 'Champs Martin' Rouge 2014

*****

The wines of Domaine Lorenzon are truly authentic in their ability to convey their Burgundian terroir. The domaine, which is located in the village of Mercurey in C?ote Chalonnaise has 4.5ha of vineyards planted in approximetly 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay. As much as 90% of these vineyards are located in 1er Cru appellations of Mercurey and Montagny. Running this family estate since 1997, third generation vigneron Bruno Lorenzon, who is assisted by his sister Caroline, is considered to be the leading vigernon from the Mercurey crafting wines at a level rivalling those of great producers of the north in the C?ote d�Or. His work was honoured in 2013 when he received the award for Winemaker of the Year by the influential French publication devoted to Burgundy, Bourgogne Aujourd�hui. Decanter magazine has consistently praised his wines regarding them as some of the best values in Burgundy. A wine should be an expression of its vineyard according to Bruno. His objective is to allow each cuvee to reveal the personality of their parcel. Bruno meticulously farms his vineyards in accordance to the viniculture practice of lutte raisonn?ee (supervised control). Considered close to organic farming, this practice advocates for the non-reliance of chemicals in grape growing. As a result, all vines are treated without any synthetic chemicals. Additionally, yields are always kept low and harvesting is done by hand in small crates. His philosophy is simple: to grow grapes as they did in the XIX century with a minimum of intervention and a maximum of understanding. Great grapes are 90% of the work. The work in the vineyard must be a balance between what goes on underground and what goes on above. Herbicide should not be used, rather one should refine the work in the vines, and pay particular attention to the foliage to help harmonize the plant. The grapes should be harvested at physiological ripeness and picked with precision and care. The style of each vintage should be respected. From his experience in the cooperage business, Bruno is apt at selecting the type of barrels that would be appropriate for each cuvee and their respective vintage. Of course, he remains a firm believer that oak should never stand out in his wines. The resulting wines from the domaine are pure, elegant, possessing beautiful finesse and the subtleties characteristic of their specific terroir.