2022 St Véran, En Crèche, Olivier Merlin, Burgundy
- White
- Dry
- Medium Bodied
- Chardonnay
- Jasper Morris MW
- 89/100
- Allen Meadows
- 89/100_❤
- Neal Martin
- 90/100
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Description
This is sons Théo and Paul’s vineyard and has been in the range since 2017. Their holding is 0.35 hectares and it is steep, with lots of limestone and is another early site. This is reflected by an assertive mineral bite and the wine has more reserve and tension than the other two single vineyard St Vérans.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Critics reviews
Grown on a steep south-facing slope with active limestone. Mid lemon in colour, useful oaking on the nose, less muscatty. Picked at a good time to capture ripeness before it goes too far. White fruit and a long, steady finish.
Drink 2025 - 2027
Much like the Les Cras, this is at once ripe yet fairly cool and more classic with its combination of apple, pear, and floral top notes. The delicious, vibrant, and beautifully textured medium-weight flavours culminate in a clean, dry, sneaky, long, and highly refreshing finale. This is quite good for the appellation and worth checking out.
Drink 2026
The 2022 Saint-Véran En Creche has a clever reduction on the nose that lends it wonderful freshness, much more than the Le Grand Bussière. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with fine tension. It’s citrus-fresh with a more stony, pithy finish.
When I called to see him, Olivier Merlin’s sons were busy spraying in the vines. “We started picking on August 21 to preserve the freshness and acidity. Nowadays, every year, the start of the growing cycle seems in advance. I am not advocating picking unripe grapes, but you have to be careful because picking in August increases by a degree every three days. On rocky soils, we had the lowest yields. We had to use 150kg of fruit per kilo of juice, which is very high. So, we did some special pressings that occasionally impart bitterness.” This is a consistent set of wines from Merlin. The Pouilly-Fuissé Sur La Roche is one of his strongest cards, though his Château des Quarts, his joint venture with Dominique Lafon, is always the highlight, the 2022 tightly wound but bursting with energy.
Drink 2024 - 2035