Maison Roche de Bellene Mercurey 2021

Mercurey is home to a thrilling new generation of growers coaxing serious wines out of its limestone hillsides. Wine Advocate critic William Kelley has been championing the appellation for years, even titling pieces "Mercurey Rising" to spotlight the area’s resounding talents. This bright, creamy Chardonnay from négociant mastermind Nicolas Potel's Maison Roche de Bellene is our marvelous case in point, for half off retail with free shipping the moment you hit 6 bottles! Consider Mercurey officially out of retrograde.

Maison Roche de Bellene is a Burgundy estate that has been on our radar for some time and continues to enamor us with their portfolio. Founded by the Potel family just outside of the village of Volnay in 1964, this house has thrived under the guidance of second-generation vintner, Nicolas Potel, who sadly passed last summer. Before taking over for his father, Nicolas set out to learn Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from legendary sites in Australia’s cool-climate Margaret River (Leeuwin, Mount Mary) and alongside California’s Pinot master, Tom Dehlinger, before returning to France to study at the historic Georges Roumier estate in Chambolle-Musigny. Nicolas’s wines are the perfect blend of classic Burgundy, with a thoughtful nod to the modern style of crafting elegantly powerful Pinots and Chardonnays.

Mercurey sits on a dense patchwork of limestone hillsides in the Côte Chalonnaise, and a wave of quality-obsessed growers there has been earning attention from top critics in recent years – Wine Advocate’s William Kelley among them, who's spotlighted Mercurey talents as some of Burgundy's most exciting under-the-radar producers. What a lot of people don't realize is that roughly 20% of Mercurey's output is white wine – Chardonnay grown on that very same limestone, with all the precision and terroir expression driving the region's rise.

Striking a brilliant balance between opulent yellow orchard fruits, crisp green apple, and lemony brightness, it unfurls with nuanced undertones of toasted hazelnut, fresh cream, and warm spices. A textural pithiness and structural precision carry through to a long, harmoniously balanced finish that leaves you begging for another sip. For half off, you’d be hard-pressed to find another deal on such thoughtfully sourced white Burgundy that compares to this! 

FOOD PAIRINGS: That creamy texture and citrus lift make this a natural with juicy roast chicken thighs with lemon, wedged potatoes, and herbs.