François RAQUILLET

France
François
RAQUILLET
BURGUNDY
Côte Châlonnaise
Mercurey
www.domaine-raquillet.com
or
domaineraquillet.free.fr
François Raquillet
OVERVIEW
Varieties: Pinot Noir,
“Mercurey is meaty” is one of the most common stereotyping man- Chardonnay
tras you learn about the largest appellation of Côte Chalonnaise. If Total Acreage:
stereotypes fill a void, then to a certain degree, Mercurey is meaty, 24.7 acres
but it is also spicy, and notable for dark cherry flavors, all of which
Average Production:
depend upon a producer’s quality-mindedness. Mercurey’s stand2,500 cases
ard bearer is François Raquillet, for whom careful vineyard management, a nimble approach to vinification, and a significant percentage of old vines are the
keys to year-in, year-out success. Because of this consistency, increasing demand for his wine
has dictated that Raquillet supplement his holdings with a small négociant business, through
which he deals exclusively with like-minded growers of 1er Crus in Mercurey and Rully.
VINEYARD/CELLAR PRACTICES
Restricts yields by removing ½ of the buds at bud-break (instead of by green harvest)
Estate vines sustainably farmed; grapes are hand harvested, strictly sorted & de-stemmed
Ambient yeast fermentation; traditional pigéage; reds aged in barrique, up to 50% new,
whites aged on lees in 500L puncheons, up to one-third new.
WINES
Mercurey Blanc
From a clay & limestone plateau, this unique Chardonnay is marked by a fat, yellow fruit zip.
Mercurey Blanc “La Brigadière”
A delicate limestone-nurtured minerality pervades this wine, which is demure when young,
but becomes more persistent and voluble with notes of figs and honey.
Mercurey Blanc 1er Cru Les Veleys
From a tiny 1.7 acre parcel of old vines planted on a texture-fattening mix of clay & limestone, it has fresh citrus-ginger elements and striking floral aromas.
Rully Blanc 1er Cru
The result of a fruit exchange between growers, this limestone-grown Chardonnay has a bold
mineral stripe through a complex of citrus fruits and flowers.
Mercurey Rouge
Fresh, fruit-oriented Pinot Noir that captures the meaty, black cherry essence of Mercurey.
Mercurey Rouge “Vieilles Vignes”
The 60+ year-old vines behind this are usually harvested first, yielding a deep, intensely rich
wine, accessible early, but its breezy, tannic texture offers ample structure for maturity.
Mercurey Rouge 1er Cru Les Puillets
A soaringly aromatic wine right from the start, it is simultaneously edgy and tannic. After a
few calorie-rich years in the bottle, its red fruits become more rotund and sweet.
Mercurey Rouge 1er Cru Les Veleys
A single acre of old vines produce a 5-10 year vin de garde: powerful, solid wine with robust
black fruit, spicy length, and moody minerality, enabling it to work well with hearty fare.
Mercurey Rouge 1er Cru Les Naugues
This most corpulent and manly of Raquillet’s reds is rich with sweet black fruit, but it gains a
marrowy dramatic sweep after spending 5 years in the cellar.
Mercurey Rouge 1er Cru Les Vasées
Vintner Select
6215 Hi-Tek Court
Mason, OH 45040
800-597-1491
fax 513-229-3633
www.vintnerselect.com
Raquillet’s most refined and subtle cuvée, its old vines impart a silky texture and deliciously
precocious depth that becomes more mysterious and suggestive after 5-6 years in the bottle.
ACCOLADES
François Raquillet is one of several vignerons nowadays relentlessly pushing the envelope on
Côte Chalonnaise quality and in the process offering Burgundian Pinots of excellent
price:quality rapport.
David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate, #171