Laurent Cognard Mercurey Rouge Clos du Paradis Premier Cru 2016
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Laurent Cognard's parents and grandparents sold the grapes from their small vineyard in Buxy to local cooperatives. Laurent began domaine bottling his family's wines in 1997, returning each year for harvest, but also working as a wine seller in Lyon and Paris. He returned to Buxy permanently in 2006 and today farms 26 acres of vines in the appellations of Montagny, Mercurey, and Pouilly-Loché. The specialty of the domaine is white wine made in a fresh and balanced style, though a small amount of Mercurey rouge is also produced. Laurent practices lutte raisonée (“reasoned struggle”) and is converting to organic farming. The region of Côte Chalonnaise extends 25 kilometers from the southern end of the Côte d'Or to the Maconnais in the south. The region includes five village appellations: Bouzeron (white wine from Aligoté), Rully, Givry, Mercurey (white, rosé, and red wines), and Montagny (white wine only). The soil is like the Côte de Beaune with weathered limestone and clay, but lacks the protection from wind provided by the Côte d’Or's escarpment. Laurent Cognard's 26 acres are spread across Bissey-sous-Cruchaud (for Crémant de Bourgogne), Montagny, Mercurey, and a small holding Pouilly-Loché in the Maconnais.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Beloved for its deep and flavorful reds made of Pinot Noir, Mercurey is the largest and most important village in the Côte Chalonnaise of Burgundy with most of its vineyards tucked away in hillsides or stretched along the aptly-named “Golden Valley.” This valley, sheltered from the moist and cool air that funnels along at lower elevations, is ideal for ripening Pinot noir.
Mercurey follows strict yield laws, similar to those at the Côte d’Or village level, promoting the development of deep, full, concentrated and age-worthy Pinot noirs. In their youth, a chewy and rich structure supports flavors of ripe strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Age brings notes of underbrush, tobacco and cocoa.
While Pinot Noir claims the majority of Mercurey vineyard acreage, Chardonnay does grow here and produces uniqely floral and spicey scented white wines.