Another delightful wine from the Estate of Albert Bichot. Domaine Adelie is named after the current generation’s daughter and is situated in the Cote Chalonnaise just south of the famous Cote d’Or. Mercurey is the most important village of the Chalonnaise, producing mostly red wine, it is therefore more unusual to find a white example. Made from 100% Chardonnay grapes grown on a calcareous and clay dominated plateau at 354 meters above sea level. Here, in the 1.2 hectare plot, the white wines made are laiden with complexity and finesse. Mercurey is often overlooked by the more famous whites of the Cote de Beaune, just north of here. Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and St. Aubin steal the limelight away from the reliably good wines of the Mercurey appellation.

After carefully handpicked grapes, the wine is fermented in French oak barrels (20% new oak) and further aged in the same barrels for 14-16 months. However, the use of oak in this wine is wonderfully subtle and very well integrated. There is plenty of fresh minerality, floral components and deft hints of toast and nuts layered on top of ripe peach, apple and citrus peel. It has a lightness of body, not too dissimilar to the famous wines of Chablis further north. Subtlety is very much the key word associated with this wine. It is much like a little violin playing quietly but with feeling. By no means a shouty Chardonnay at all.

Mercurey is named after the Roman temple built here in honour of the God Mercury, the celestial nature of the wine, we hope, will transcend you to the heavens! Enjoy.