Phillipe le Hardi Mercurey 1er Cru Les Puillets

Tasting Notes

This wine is a deep garnet in colour. The nose is intense with aromas of ripe raspberry and rich cherry. It is powerful on the palate, with flavours of red fruits and soft spices that fill the mouth, beautifully balanced by elegant tannins that linger on the finish.

Producer

Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi (formerly Château de Santenay) was once the majestic stately home of the first Duke of Burgundy. Philippe le Hardi received his duchy from his father, the King of France, and became famous for banning the cultivation of Gamay in the Côte d’Or, saying in his edict of 1395 that only Pinot Noir could be used in the production of red wines from the already fabled slopes.

The magnificent Château has a flamboyant multi-coloured tiled roof ‘en tuile vernissée de Bourgogne’, one of the region’s most distinctive architectural traditions. Despite the property’s long history, it fell on hard times until it was taken over by French bank Crédit Agricole in 2010. The current owners have invested heavily in the estate over the past decade, building a new cuverie in 2014 and putting in place a new team, including Chef de Cave François des Moutis. He is focused on revealing the quality of the domaine’s single-vineyard sites through sensitive winemaking. A more gentle extraction and less new oak than in the past mean that the wines today are supple, characterful expressions of their well-respected sites.

Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi owns 106 hectares of vineyard, 72 of which are in Mercurey, as well as 18 hectares in the Côte d’Or including Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay. The Domaine recently increased their vineyard holdings in 2019 to include eight hectares in the Côte de Nuits, with parcels of Gevrey-Chambertin, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Petite Chapelle’ and Chambolle-Musigny. The Bourgogne Blanc Côte d’Or comes from a monopole near Saint-Aubin named `Clos de la Chaise Dieu`. The Mercurey Blanc `Bois de Lalier` is a single climat that displays lovely citrus fruit, good intensity and a superb texture. The Mercurey 1er Cru `Les Puillets` is fuller-bodied, with a ripe, dark cherry character and core of richness. 

Vineyards

'Les Puillets' vineyard is located on south-west facing hillside slopes in the appellation of Mercurey. The average age of the vines is 30 years and the soils are rich in clay, while the presence of limestone and marl gives the wines power and a beautiful structure. The vineyard is certified as ‘Terra Vitis’ and is cultivated without the use of pesticides.