MERCUREY

2017 1er Cru Les Vasées Domaine François Raquillet

EN PRIMEUR

From vines over 55 years old, on the middle of a south-facing slope. Slightly muted nose. Plenty of energy on the palate. The wine is tightly knit at this stage but shows lovely elegance and poise. More density and structure too, on flavours of black fruit. There is a good mineral edge, but it remains gourmand. Drinking range: 2019 - L&S (Oct 2018)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

This is aromatically similar to the Cuvée Suzanne though the wood influence is slightly more prominent. There is a bit more volume to the attractively vibrant and textured medium weight flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the notably more complex and lingering finish. This too should be approachable young as the supporting tannins are already pliant. Drinking range: 2023 - Rating: 90 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Jan 2020)

The 2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Les Vasées unfurls in the glass with aromas of smoky blackberries, cassis, grilled game bird and espresso roast. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and nicely concentrated, its fine but chalky tannins largely cloaked in fleshy fruit. Drinking range: 2020 - 2033 Rating: 90+ William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Aug 2019)

The 2017 Mercurey Les Vasées 1er Cru has an engaging, slightly more savory bouquet than the Vieilles Vignes, revealing just a hint of bacon fat underneath the red berry fruit. The palate is well balanced with grippy tannin and dark berry fruit mixed with cedar, leading to a well-structured, quite persistent finish. This is another excellent 2017 from one of the Côte Chalonnaise’s best producers. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

François took over the running of this estate from his father, Jean, in 1990, with his wife Emmanuelle. Records show that the same family have made wine in Mercurey since the 1600s, and Francois is the eleventh generation.

With eleven hectares under vine, François has substantially reduced yields, introduced higher quality oak barrels (up to 50% new wood for the Premiers Crus) and significantly increased the quality of wines made at this domaine. François explains he tries to avoid over-extraction at all costs - his one aim is to deliver the beautifully pure fruit profile he gets out of the old vines - this he does with great success. It is a wonderfully transparent style - combined with good mid-palate weight.

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STORAGE OPTIONS:

Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information.

While helpful, we do not require a firm commitment on delivery destination to process your primeur order at this stage. Our team will be in contact with you when your wines arrive in the UK to confirm the necessary delivery details.

BURGUNDY EN PRIMEUR FAQ

OFFER: All wines are offered subject to availability and final confirmation.

PRICING: All prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT, by the case size stated. Please double check that the desired case size does match what is being offered as wines are variously listed in threes, sixes, dozens, halves and larger formats.

DELIVERY - TIMING: This is a primeur offer so the wines are not yet physically available for delivery. They will be shipped to the UK over the next eighteen months. Generally, wines are shipped to your nominated location once the whole order has landed in our London City Bond account. If you require wines to be delivered by a certain date, please advise us at the time of ordering.

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