Domaine Bailly Reverdy Sancerre La Mercy Dieu Rouge

Description

Sancerre La Mercy Dieu Rouge is a red wine from the Loire Valley made by Domaine Bailly Reverdy. Unusually for a Loire red wine it is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, most Loire Red wines (Saumur, Chinon etc.) are made from Cabernet Franc.

Domaine Bailly Reverdy was established in the 1950s by Bernard Reverdy. The business was continued by his two sons, Jean- Francois, who unfortunately died in 2005, and Franck who studied oenology at Bordeaux. Jean-Francois’ son Aurelian, Franck’s nephew, joined the family firm in 2005 after studying oenology in Montpellier and Beaune and working vintages in both New Zealand and Oregon. The domaine consists of around 23 hectares of vineyard planted with approximately 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Pinot Noir. The domaine is based in the village of Bué-en-Sancerre 5kms away from the village of Sancerre. Domaine Bailly Reverdy has some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in the Sancerre region and this helps to produce a Pinot Noir with good concentration. They were also one of the very first Sancerre producers to barrel age their red wines.

The Pinot Noir grapes for Domaine Bailly Reverdy Sancerre La Mercy Dieu Rouge are hand-harvested and some of the grapes are de-stemmed prior to a gentle crushing and fermentation. There is a pumping over of the wine to help extract fine tannins and increase the aromas of the wine. Finally the wine is racked off into oak barrels, some of which are new, where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is then aged for 12 months.