Two Superb Wines from Burgundy and Mendoza. Well worth a try!

Two Superb Wines from Burgundy and Mendoza for your list. Well worth a try!

*********

Chateau De Santenay ROC Blanc Mercurey (AC) 2017, 13%

RRP €31.99 wineonline.ie Terroirs

Chateau De Santenay is situated in the central strip of the Côte Chalonnaise which itself is in the middle of the Burgundy vineyard (north to south and leaving aside the isolated Chablis). Here, on that central strip, according to the World Atlas of Wine, “Mercurey is much the best-known appellation…”. 

Our 2017 Santenay comes in a bright and clear light-gold colour. Aromas are concentrated, pear and citrus notes, and just a mild hint of vanilla. The mouthfeel is superb, the texture impressing (thanks to its time in oak). For sure it is ample in the mouth, those superb fruity aromas (more of the pear now) continuing and citrus flavours, plus hazelnut hints. Thanks to its stimulating acidity, it has a beautiful balanced path to the finalé.

The Chateau de Santenay is one of the most important Burgundy estates with its 90 hectares spread across 14 appellations planted in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. “We are totally committed to the protection of the environment and the biodiversity of our vineyards.”

The Chateau itself confirms that the grape variety is 100% Chardonnay from a small vineyard in the village of Saone-et-Loire. White wine represents only 10% of the vineyard in Mercurey but it is a very significant proportion. Mercurey blanc has a zesty mineral edginess (from the limestone in the soil). The soils are rich in clay, but the limestone (typical of the Côte Chalonnaise) is “very present” as well as some areas of marl. These characteristics give the white wines of Mercurey a strong structure. 

“Our good farming practices allow us to be certified ‘High Environmental Value’ and ‘Terra Vitis’. The soil is managed by tillage, permanent grass cover and that ,with herbicides removed from the process, provide a biologically active soil life. The thinning and green harvesting help to control the yield and maintain good health of the plant by aerating clusters. Winemaking is traditional with moderate pneumatic pressing. Static settlings for 12 hours then fermented in oak barrels. Aged sur lies during 12 to 18 months.”

Pair with pasta, rich fish (salmons tuna) shellfish, mild and soft cheese, charcuterie.

Flichman Dedicado Malbec (Tupungato Mendoza Argentina) 2016, 13.5%

RRP € 29.99 Avoca Handweavers Shops, Molloys Liquor Store (Clonsilla), The 1601, Michael's Mount Merrion, Ely Wine Store Maynooth, wineonline.ie

This Malbec from Argentina’s Mendoza (the UCO Valley sub-region) has a deep ruby colour. Ripe red fruits feature in the intense aromas along with hints of spice (from its 12 months in oak). On the complex palate, there is dark fruit and a very fresh structure with concentrated ripe tannins. The finish is long with more fruit and spices. Very Highly Recommended.

You can taste why this is one of Finca Flichman’s signature wines. The finca was founded in 1873 by a Polish immigrant and bought by Sogrape in 1998. It is also very well known for its Caballero de la Cepo, an iconic bottling and one of the earliest super-premium wines.

Importers Liberty: Produced in the Valle de Uco, Mendoza. Made by one of Argentina's rising stars German Barra, fruit for this Malbec is sourced from the Tupungato district of the Uco Valley. Aged for 12 months in French oak, it is full bodied and rich. 100%Malbec.

High altitude Tupungato is the northernmost sub-region of the Uco Valley in Mendoza, at 1300 metres above sea level. The grapes benefit from large diurnal temperature variations which result in a longer growing season. Pedro Parra, the renowned Chilean soil mapping expert, consults on these vineyards.

Flichman tell us that fermentation was carried out over 20-25 days in stainless steel tanks. After malolactic fermentation took place, the wine was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. It is a wine with typical aromas of the variety subtly fused in wood. It presents an excellent level of nuances on the palate.

Burgundy Bourgogne. Five of the Best

SuperValu Feature Burgundy
Some of Bourgogne's Best

The French Wine sale is underway at SuperValu until the 23rd of the month (September). The focus here is on Burgundy (Bourgogne) and indeed mainly on the whites of the iconic area.

Burgundy and Bordeaux are perhaps the best known wine areas of France but there are major differences. Bordeaux is the area of the the big chateaux, the extensive vineyard. But Burgundy is the land of the small holder.

In Bordeaux too, they blend both reds and whites. In the Bourgogne region, the wines are mainly single varietal. This “purity of expression” means that each plot gives each vintage its own personality and unique characteristics. Chardonnay (48%) and Pinot Noir (34%) are the most widely grown here.

The current sale gives you, and me, a great opportunity to sample the superb wines from the region. Andre Goichot, best known as a negociant but who is also a producer, has been here since 1947 and all the wines below are his.

Maison Andre Goichot Mercurey (AOC) 2013, 12.5%, €18.00.

Colour is a light, and bright, red while the aromas give you a nice mix of raspberry, cherry, strawberry. Red fruit flavours, cherry prominent, on the palate, light as you'd expect, the lightness of a classic youthful Pinot Noir; acidity and tannins combine well as you go into the dry finish. Very Highly Recommended. You’ll be hard pushed to find a better example at or about this price - if you do, let me know.

Don't think I'd go as far as to say it's a divine wine but the village of Mercurey is named after a local Gallo-Roman temple to Mercury, the messenger of the gods.

Did you know that Pinot Noir juice is clear? The grapes must be macerated in vats to put the skins in contact with the juice. The colour is in the skins and, without this maceration, the Pinot Noir would produce a white wine. Pinot Noir accounts for about a third of the Burgundy harvest.

Maison Andre Goichot “Les Petit Meix” Chablis 1er Cru 2014, 13%, €18.00.

This, of course, is a Chardonnay, dry and fresh. If this is your first Chablis, you’ll probably find it much drier and fresher than the non-burgundian Chardonnays you've been drinking. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the wines of Chablis are surely the most flattered in the world - according to DK's French Wines 1999.

Colour is pale gold and it has the characteristic mineral aromas that hint of the dryness and freshness to come on the palate. It is quite a gorgeous mouthful, fruit and acidity in good balance and a super dry finalé.

Matches indicated include fine poultry, oysters and veal in a white sauce. But this is a complex wine, very versatile (you'll have no problem with duck or pork) and Very Highly Recommended.

Maison Andre Goichot Meursault (AOC) 2014, 13%, €35.00.

Colour is a greenish gold, limpid and brilliant, and here again the fruit and acidity match up in an exceptional balance. Fresh and smooth it has an excellent refined mouthfeel with a streak of minerality and a long finish that keeps giving.

On the area’s website, I read: “Nowhere in the Côte de Beaune does the Chardonnay grape do better that its does here”. Maybe a little early with this one, as they say “it is a great white wine for laying down”. It is indeed excellent now, and Highly Recommended, but whether it is twice as good as the Chablis or Montagny is debateable. Perhaps its best days are in the future! So maybe I’ll buy a few of these for that special occasion in a couple of years and lots of the Montagny for the here and now!

Former US president Thomas Jefferson once visited the region and reported: "..at Meursault only white wines are made, because there is too much stone for the red".

Domaine Les Guignottes, Les Resses Montagny 1er Cru 2014, 13%, €20.00

Not too much to say about this - just go out and buy and enjoy! This classic Chardonnay has beautiful intense white fruit aromas, peach the most prominent. Colour is a bright gold and there are amazing fruit and nut flavours, some spice too. The acidity too is outstanding. Fresh, with  a gorgeous mouthfeel and a long finish. Very Highly Recommended.

Domaine Les Guignottes, Montagny Les Guignottes, 13%, €18.00

Falling in love with Montagny, for sure. Tried this out with a trio and they all loved it as well, its amazing colours, brightness and aromas but above all for the outstanding flavours and acidity and that long finish. Great value too. Very Highly Recommended. 

Montagny (in the Chalonnaise region) produces white wines only - fresh, young, alluring classic burgundian. Very versatile as a food wine, including seafood, many cheeses (including goat) and it won't be intimidated by paella.