Our evening was progressing very well, and everyone was enjoying our hosts The Fine Wine Source and their restaurant Vertical Detroit.  We were having a wine tasting and pairing dinner, while being regaled by Alexandra Sineau, the Export Director of Famille Picard, and Manou Chahmirzadi of David Milligan Selections the import house.  The third course of the meal was Pan Roasted Salmon with Almond Romesco over a bed of Confit Baby Potatoes and Kale.  I know that we will be having Romesco Sauce at the home very soon, as my Bride was very thrilled with the taste and texture on the salmon.  I might add that Pinot Noir is one of our favorite choices when having salmon.  Then the dinner ended with a Crème Brulee with assorted fresh berries.   Before the evening ended, all the guests were introduced to the chef Matt Barnes, who is a native of the Detroit area and the Midwest.

The first wine to be paired with the entrée was Domaine Levert-Barault Mercurey Cuvee L’Automne 2020 and part of Famille Picard.  Mercurey is one of the five communal titles of the Cote Chalonnaise, which is a sub-region of Burgundy, and hence the red wines are Pinot Noir.  Domaine Levert-Barault is one of the oldest wine-growing estates in Mercurey, and the Levert family dates back to the 16^th Century.  The estate is a nine-and-a-half-hectare vineyard and has a couple of iconic blocks, and it was acquired by Famille Picard in 1997.  They maintain two “cuvees” Le Printemps and L’Automne which display interesting terroir.  Cuvee L’Automne comes mainly from their Les Vaux plot, with very old vines with perfect exposure and a small portion from Les Montelons on the Mercurey plateau, opposite Rully.  The Cuvee Le Printemps is in the reverse proportion.  The vines are grown organically, with mechanical work on the soil, while the fruit is hand-harvested, sorted, and totally destemmed, with the berries conveyed directly to the vat, without bruising or crushing prematurely.  Traditional Burgundy vinification, in thermos-regulated vats.  The wine is then aged for ten months in large used barrels.  A nice deep burgundy colored wine that offered notes of ripe cherries, cranberries, spices, and intense minerals.  On the palate the tones of red fruit, blending seamlessly with silky tannins, toasted oak and a medium count finish of fruit and terroir.

The second wine of the pairing and the final wine of the evening from Famille Picard was Domaine Levert-Barault Mercurey Premier Cru Champs Martin 2020.  While there are five communal titles in the appellation Cote Chalonnaise, almost a quarter of Mercurey’s vineyards are classified as a Premier Cru with thirty-two recognized for that designation.  Domaine Levert-Barault has two Cuvees and six Premier Cru wines:  Clos des Barraults, Les Combins, Champs Martin, La Vasée, Clos des Montaigus, and La Chassiere.  Champs Martin is one of the larger Premier Cru vineyards in Mercurey, and they are known for a fine white (Chardonnay) and a fine red (Pinot Noir).  The vineyard is 8.7 hectares and twenty percent is planted with Chardonnay and the balance is Pinot Noir.  Given the large size, most of the producers that have vines there, produce both a white and a red wine of note.  The Chardonnay is planted on dark marlstone soil, and the Pinot Noir is planted in the classic clay and limestone of Burgundy, but with a heavy ferrous influence in the soil.  The vineyard is at 300 meters with southern to southwestern exposure; and the vines have been planted from the 1970’s to the 1990’s.  The soil is tended by mechanical labor, but the fruit is hand-harvested, destemmed, and the berries are conveyed directly to the vat, to maintain non-bruising or premature crushing.  Traditional Burgundy vinification methods are used, as the wine initially goes into thermos-regulated vats.  Then the wine is aged for fifteen months in oak barrels, of which thirty percent is new.  The wine had a deep burgundy color that offered notes of black cherries, plums, violets, and traces of balsamic and leather.  On the palate there were tones of concentrated ripe fruit, blended with fine tannins, anise, and black pepper, mouthwatering and savory, with a nice long finish of fruit, minerals, and a whiff of smoke.  This is where the bulk of our purchase went and I can’t wait to let this wine cellar a few years more.