Olivier Merlin Macon La Roche Vineuse 2020

Based in the village of La Roche Vineuse, Olivier Merlin and his wife Corinne founded their domain in 1987 after taking over the 4.5ha of vineyards of the 200-year-old Domaine du Vieux Saint-Sorlin. Since then they have grown to now include 26 hectares of vineyards stretching across Saint-Véran, Pouilly-Fuissé, Viré-Clessé, Moulin à Vent, along with their home in Macon's La Roche Vineuse. While not certified organic, from the beginning they have shunned the use of chemicals in their vineyards and maintain their soils with tilling between the rows. Winemaking is traditional with the handpicked grapes pressed as whole clusters before fermentation and maturation mainly in cask, where new oak use is decreasing year on year.

Barrel aged for 18 months using 30-50% new oak. Bright straw colour with a watery hue. Ripe pear and peach aromas overlaid with a mix of honeycomb and bacon fat notes emanate from the glass with hints of crème brulee and wets stone also evident. Rich pear and dried honey flavours are intermeshed with faint crème brulee, almond and wet slate on the back half. Full creamy like textural feel concluding with good freshness and a long wet slate and almond laced aftertaste.
Drink over the next 4-5 years.