2022 Domaine Theulot Juillot Mercurey 1er Cru Les Champs Martins Blanc

Ask Nathalie Theulot where Mercurey's best white wine comes from and she won't hesitate. Les Champs Martins. It's a bold claim for a vineyard better known for red. Champs Martins sits just west of Les Combins and has long been rated among the village's top sites. Every serious Mercurey grower owns a piece of it. Yet only about a fifth of the vineyard is planted to Chardonnay. Theulot-Juillot's slice is small. It's a parcel of 35-year-old vines at the top of the slope, facing west, on grey Oxfordian marlstone. The wine ferments naturally in barrel, on its own yeasts. The result is sleek and chalky, with the white-liquorice and floral notes that mark out good Mercurey white. A salty, mineral freshness keeps the palate trim and bright. The domaine has been in the same family since the early 20th century. It's still farmed organically and picked by hand. Mercurey has a reputation for red. This bottle makes a fine argument for rewriting it.