Mercurey is the largest appellation of the Côte Chalonnaise region, and produces both red and white wine, although red does tend to dominate with almost 80% production coming from Pinot Noir grapes. The remaining white wine is made predominantly from Chardonnay.
Named after the Roman messenger deity of trade, the appellation is generally regarded as the most widely recognised of the five villages, indeed for a while the Côte Chalonnaise was referred to as the ‘Région de Mercurey,’ and it has the largest production by far: over half of all wine from the Côte Chalonnaise is from Mercurey.
No Grand Cru vineyards lie within the Côte Chalonnaise, however Mercurey produces wine from 32 Premier Cru vineyards, accounting for over a fifth of its vine-growing land. Mercurey reds are generally regarded as strong, full-bodied and exhibiting notes of red fruits such as cherries, or violets, and are very well-suited to red meats such as beef, or stews. The rarer whites on the other hand are known for their minerality, and hints of slate and apple.
