Olivier Merlin Saint-Véran La Côte-Rôtie 2021

Olivier Merlin Saint-Véran La Côte-Rôtie is a single-vineyard Chardonnay from the southern Mâconnais, its name a local vineyard rather than the northern Rhône appellation it echoes.

Côte rôtie means roasted slope, and the term turns up as a vineyard name across France wherever a hillside faces the sun squarely; here it belongs to a parcel within Saint-Véran, an appellation created in 1971 for Chardonnay grown in several communes at the southern edge of the Mâconnais, in two blocks either side of Pouilly-Fuissé. Olivier and Corinne Merlin have farmed at La Roche Vineuse since 1987, when they took over the Domaine du Vieux Saint-Sorlin, and are among the growers who persuaded the wider world that the Mâconnais deserved Côte d'Or handling: whole-bunch pressing, barrel fermentation and long ageing on lees.

Serve at around 11 to 12 degrees with roast fish, poultry or a soft cheese; it holds well for five years or so.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.