Sardone 23/24 - Vins Mercuriales
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Sardone 23/24 - Vins Mercuriales
Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc · 75cl
Pickup available at 3 Cornmarket Street
Usually ready in 2-4 days
Chardonnay harvested by hand in 2024, on the clay-limestone soils of Cucuron in Vaucluse, with a splash of Ugni Blanc from young vines in Jouques, Bouches-du-Rhône, harvested the previous year. Direct pressing of the Chardonnay, which aged in 600L demi-muid for 12 months sur lie. A touch of colour here, with the Ugni getting 14 days of carbonic maceration before ageing in demi-muid sur lie for 24 months. The assemblage was
made 10 days before bottling. 3,100 bottles produced.
A vibrant, sun-kissed assemblage that channels all that's great in Chardonnay from this corner of France. A kinetic, citrus zest, floral maquis aroma that takes us to a warm summer morning in the Midi, and a wave of fruity acidity and mineral compression on the
palate, framed by the soft phenolic grip of the Ugni.
The producer
Based in the breathtaking troglodyte Caves Cathédrales in Saint Restitut, Drome, Vins Mercuriales is a négociant project started by Antonin Roux and Aymard Caillol in 2023.
Antonin Roux, a Paris based experimental composer, and Aymard Caillol, who runs a wine bar in Marseille, first collaborated as DJs on the circuit in Paris. They were inspired to make wine after a groundbreaking tasting at the BIM fair in Arles, after which they began ordering cases to serve at their parties. The draw to make wine themselves eventually became irresistible, and after staging with Martin Texier the pair produced their first micro cuvées at his cellar in 2019. In 2022, after landing a spot at Les Caves Cathédrales, a vast troglodyte cellar carved from the old stone quarries above Saint-Restitut in the Drôme, they produced their first wines as Vins Mercuriales, sourcing fruit from vineyards to the south. The duo's releases to date reflect their artistic perspective, expressing the ancient rhythms and musicality of the Midi
The place
The fruit for Sardone comes from two Provençal villages an hour apart. The 2024 Chardonnay grows at Cucuron, on the southern slopes of the Luberon in the Vaucluse, while the 2023 Ugni Blanc comes from young vines at Jouques, in the hills north of Aix-en-Provence. Both sit on the clay-limestone soils that run through this stretch of upper Provence, where warm days ripen fruit early but altitude and youth keep the wines fresh. The grapes travel north each harvest to Saint-Restitut in the Drôme Provençale, where they are vinified in the steady coolness of the Caves Cathédrales.
Grapes: Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc
Region: Drome Provencale, France