2020 Mâcon-La Roche Vineuse, Vieilles Vignes, Olivier Merlin, Burgundy

From 65+ year old vines.

Here too there is a suggestion of wood lurking in the background of the slightly riper if less exotic aromas of pear, apple and lemon zest. The old vines are in evidence as the medium weight and opulent flavours possess both better concentration and volume, all wrapped in an intense, sneaky long and sappy finish. This refreshing effort should also drink well young.

Drink from 2023 onward

Offering up aromas of pear, yellow orchard fruit and white flowers, the 2020 Mâcon-La Roche-Vineuse Vieilles Vignes is medium-bodied, soft and round, with a delicate core of fruit and a saline finish.

Drink 2022 - 2025

The 2020 Mâcon La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes, from 50 to 60-year-old vines, was the first cuvée to be bottled this year. The nose has superior definition to the regular cuvée with green apple and granite. The palate is well-balanced, very elegant with hints of ginger and blackberry leaf on the slightly honeyed finish. Lovely.

In 2020, I started picking on 25 August, the earliest since 2003, which was on 21 August,” winemaker Olivier Merlin, who has been joined by sons Théo and Paul in recent years. “That’s the new challenge: to determine the optimal date of picking. We harvest everything by hand. The window of picking is very short, so we have to double the number of pickers. But that is difficult in terms of logistics, accommodation etc. 

If you’re a bit late in picking, then that is a catastrophe for Chardonnay as you can get one extra degree of alcohol each day in some parcels. A southerly wind can also dehydrate the bunches, which happened in 2015. Fortunately, we did not have that in 2020, and we picked in perfect conditions with just the right amount of warmth. The 2020s are between 12.8% and 13% alcohol. They have good acidity and freshness with low pH. Everything has been domaine-bottled since the 2018 vintage.

Drink 2022 - 2030