My Bride and I were at Vertical Detroit, the wine-centric restaurant owned by the wine-centric The Fine Wine Source of Livonia, Michigan. There were about twenty of us invited for a dinner and tasting of wines from Famille Picard, and while the wines were known in France, this was basically the first time in America.  For the evening Famille Picard was featuring wines from Domaine Voarick and Domaine Levert-Barault from the Burgundy region of France.   The tasting was conducted by Alexandra Sineau, the Export Director of Famille Picard, and Manou Chahmirzadi of David Milligan Selections the import house.  The Second Course was a Mushroom Risotto with varied Wild Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Parmesan Cheese; it was decadent in flavor and texture.

The first wine poured to pair with the risotto was Domaine Voarick Mercurey 2019.  Domaine Voarick has wines featuring not only the appellation Mercurey, but also the designations “Under the Rocks.” Les Vignes Blanches, Premier Cru Clos du Paradis, and Premier Cru Clos du Roy.  Mercurey is one of five communal appellations in the Cote Chalonnaise and the appellation was created in 1936 for Mercury and for Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu.  The Cote Chalonnaise was once known as the Region de Mercurey.  The appellation laws pertaining to yields are similar to the Cote de Beaune as compared to the requirements for the Cote Chalonnaise.  The wine is pure Pinot Noir on limestone soils and the vines have been planted from the 1950’s – 1980’s.  The fruit is mechanically-harvested, and is vinified in the classic Burgundian method. And is aged for twelve months in oak vats.  The wine is garnet in color and offers notes of cherry, raspberry, and currants.  On the palate there were tones of the red fruits, in a juicy blend with tight tannins and finishing with a nice smoke and terroir.  

There was another pairing with the Second Course of the meal and it was a Domaine Voarick Mercurey Premier Cru Clos du Roy 2020.  Almost twenty-five percent of Mercurey’s vineyards are classified as Premier Cru and there are thirty-two recognized and delimited climats with designations.  There are more stringent production requirements that must be achieved to use the Premier Cru designation.  It is a small climat that has natural protection from the cold, northerly winds and enjoys a more continental climate.  The soil is a limestone-clay with small stones and pebbles, which force the roots to dig deep and hence concentrated flavors.  The wine is pure Pinot Noir, and the vines have been planted from the 1950’s – 1990’s.  The fruit is mechanically-harvested, and is vinified in the classic Burgundian method.  The wine is aged for fifteen months in oak barrels, of which thirty percent is new.  The wine is a deep garnet in color and offered notes of black plums, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries and oakiness.  On the palate tones of dark fruits, licorice, vanilla, and pepper blended with silky tannins, balanced, with a nice medium to long finish of fruit, smoke, and some saltiness.