Appellation
Mercurey
Identity card
VillageAOPWhiteRed
Burgundy › Côte Chalonnaise · Recognised on 11 September 1936
- Grand cru
- Premier cru
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Grown in Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu.
- Pinot Noir on 87% of the area; 677 ha in 2010.
- Long sold under the name "vin de Beaune".
Grape varieties
White
Accessory varieties: Pinot Gris (15% at most of the vines in each plot)
Only interplanted among the vines
Red
Allowed as a small share of the red wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris (15% at most of the vines in each plot)
Only interplanted among the vines
Production rules
57
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
8,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 1 April after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 128 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 78 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 136 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Flanks of two valleys, 220 to 350 m
- Soils: Calcareous soils on colluvium, always well drained
- Soils: In the west, chert clays: more acidic soils
Wine style
- Red
- elegant and powerful
- tannins that soften
- red fruit
- animal notes
- White
- dry
- rich and powerful
- dried fruit
- mineral note
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
1 September 2025
Arrêté du 1er septembre 2025 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Mercurey » (JORF n°0204 du 3 septembre 2025, texte n°30 ; publié au BO-AGRI n°37 du 11 septembre 2025). Appellation initialement reconnue par décret du 11 septembre 1936.
Labelling terms
- "Premier cru" and/or the name of one of 32 listed climats
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceArrêté du 1er septembre 2025 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Mercurey »— Ministère de l'agriculture et de la souveraineté alimentaire — Bulletin officiel (BO-AGRI)
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Trade bodyVins de Bourgogne — site officiel du Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne— Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB)
A village appellation of the Côte Chalonnaise, in Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu: 677 hectares in 2010, 87% of them planted with Pinot Noir. Long sold under the name "vin de Beaune," it already appeared in 1400 on the list of wines served to the Duke of Burgundy at his residence in Arras.
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Mercurey
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