Big Burgundy Tasting Sydney 2023

This old-vine cuvée is drawn from three lieux-dits with an average age a shade over 50 years. Les Montelons sits at the top of the Mercurey slope at 300 metres on beige marl, bringing tightly packed fruit and freshness. Sheltered from the wind in the centre of the village, Le Clos Laurent brings earthiness and opulent dark fruit, while Les Vaux, in a deep valley to the north of the town at around 250 metres, provides both density and bite. The sum of the parts is Mercurey’s answer to Gevrey-Chambertin. Everything is destemmed in the winery, and most of the wine spends 12 months in barrel (around 20% new) with a small proportion remaining in tank for this vintage.

The attack here is more intense than the 2021 Millerandage Rouge. It is juicy and well-built with lots of summer berry and blueberry pie flavour, alongside liquorice nuance and hints of spice from the classy oak. It’s a more vibrant and balanced release than last year’s fruit bomb, yet there is plenty of old-vine depth and structure to warrant a good stretch in the cellar. BIBENDUM

Golden colour. Deep and honeyed, grilled cashew and white flower aromatic. Fruit spectrum dances around the orchard and something slightly more exotic with a puff of white smoke putting a complexing note into the conversation. The palate follows suits with a lovely attack of sweet citrus and melon fruits spreading across the palate before a blast of limestone-linked austerity and tension pulls everything back into line. It's a wine I just loved drinking. you get Macon generosity and enjoyment alongside enough tension on the backend to keep you wanting another glass. This guys is a "watch-this-space" producer. MICHAEL MCNAMARA, PWS

A great exampole of the value from Santentay - this single site Climat Has a high percentage of limestone over clay - it is energentic- vibrant and textural chardonnay, and with a nice balance of oak (25% new)  provides an little more structure to the wine than the Bourgone. ALEX WILCOX

Again, wide, fresh, clean agrumes. A little more structural more depth of flavour, faintly spiced.. gorgeously finishing. Really only at the end, end a touch of oak. Bravo. BILL NANSON Burgundy Report