Wine Advisor
Bruno Lorenzon, Mercurey 1er Cru Piece 15 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Even purer and more ethereal than the Champs Martins is the 2021 Mercurey 1er Cru Pièce 15, a strong contender for the title of wine of the vintage in southern Burgundy. Wafting from the glass with notes of pear, white flowers, peach, wet stones and clear honey, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, with an immensely deep but weightless core of fruit, racy acids and a long, precise and intensely mineral finish. I always have high expectations when I taste with Lorenzon, but this wine really transcended them. It represents a formidable achievement from one of France's greatest winemakers.
About the Producer
After travelling across the vineyards of South Africa and New Zealand as a consultant, it was in 1997 that Bruno Lorenzon took over the family estate, assisted by his sister Carline. Bruno is considered to be a leading vigneron from the Mercurey crafting wines at a level rivalling great producers from the Northern part of Cote d’Or. The estate has 9 hectares in total, located in the village of Mercurey in Côte Chalonnaise: 6 hectares in the Mercurey appellation and 3 hectares in the Montagny appellation. The main variety is Pinot Noir, and 15% of the vineyard is planted with Chardonnay. Bruno decided to have a high density in the vines with more than 10,000 vines per hectare. The height of the vine can reach up to 1.70 meters. This height helps to optimize photosynthesis and create shade. Bruno meticulously farms his vineyards according to the viticulture practice of “lutte raisonnée”. In fact, it is remarkably close to organic farming. This practice advocates for the non-reliance of chemicals in grape growing. As a result, all vines are treated without any synthetic chemicals. Additionally, the yield is always kept low, and harvesting is done by hand in small crates. From his experience in the cooperage business, Bruno can select which barrel would be the perfect match for each cuvée and their respective vintage. Of course, he remains a firm believer that oak should never stand out in his wines. The resulting wines are pure, elegant, possessing a beautiful finesse and the subtleties characteristic of their specific terroir.
