Our Growers:

Olivier Merlin

Domaine du Vieux Sorlin

Olivier Merlin is one of the rising stars in the Macon. He is the first in his family to make wine. His mother was a chef, so he ate well and drank well growing up. He studied winemaking at the viticulture school in Davayé, where he got to know Jean-Luc Terrier of Domaine des Deux Roches. He started out working in the United States doing an apprenticeship in 1985 and later worked for Verget for three years. He and his wife, Corinne, bought a few good parcels in the Macon to make their wine. Then, in an effort to create a specialty négociant business, they have carefully chosen producers who will grow the grapes to their specifications and pay them well to provide them with the other grapes necessary to complete their production. Olivier controls everything himself and says that he does "haute couture, not prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear)." He produces just under 10,000 cases with 18 different cuvees.

The Macon La Roche Vineuse is very easy to drink. As Merlin says, it is a wine for pleasure. Sixty percent of the vines belong to the domaine and are young (10 years old); forty percent are older vines (up to 30 years old), whose grapes are purchased from others. The grapes are all hand-harvested; no herbicides are used. The wine is vinified in stainless steel vats for 8

months. Merlin does malolactic fermentation on this wine as well as a light filtration. There is no fining. The nose is aromatic and offers hazelnuts and flowers (honeysuckle blossoms)as well as a light note of lemon. The mouth is round and long in the finish and well-balanced with low acidity. The texture is silky This wine should be drunk within 2 to 3 years.

The Macon La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes: The limestone-clay soil has a south, south-east exposure with vines that are 30 to 70 years old. The soil is worked without herbicides and the grapes are hand-harvested. The wine ages in barrels for a year and then for three months in stainless steel vats. Merlin is a master at the seamless use of wood. He says, "I put juice in the barrel, not wine." The wine is racked and lightly filtered before bottling with no fining. This is a rich, complex wine with a marked minerality. It is very well-balanced and long in the mouth.

The Macon La Roche Les Cras: This wine is a true expression of its terroir: The limestone-clay soil has a southwestern exposure with vines that are 45 years old. The soil is worked without herbicides and the grapes are hand-harvested. The wine ages in barrels 18-20 months (50% new wood, 50% wood one-year-old), where both alcoholic and the malolactic fermentation take place. The wine is racked and filtered depending on the millésime before bottling with no fining. This is a very rich wine, dense and fat with a marked minerality. Oak is very evident on the palate, but so is the ripeness of the fruit. It has a classic Maconnais "chalky" quality in the long finish.

Moulin à Vent: The Gamay grapes are from vines that are 50 years old. The grapes are hand picked. The alcoholic fermentation with carbonic gas is done in wooden tanks for about 2 weeks, and then the wine is aged in wood barrels for 10 months, where the malolactic fermentation takes place. After racking and light filtration, the wine is bottled without fining. This is a rich, very powerful, very aromatic (spices, violets, peonies) wine.

The Bourgogne Rouge is light-bodied, fresh, and easy to drink. It has cherry aromas and is very fruity. The soil, which is limestone-clay, has a western exposure; the vines are 30 years old. The soil is worked without herbicides and the grapes are hand-harvested. Vinification is done in wooden vats with two pigeages per day for 2 weeks. The malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels; after 10 months, the wine is racked and lightly filtered with no fining.

The Pouilly-Fuissé terroir de Chaintré: The clay soil produces a soft, smooth, fruity Chardonnay that is very easy to drink. The limestone-clay soil has a southeastern exposure and is planted with 80-year-old vines. Harvesting is by hand. Both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-third of which is new wood. The wine ages in the barrel for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. The wine is well-balanced, supple, and round in the mouth.

The Pouilly-Fuissé terroir de Vergisson has a sharper minerality to it. The limestone-clay soil has a southern exposure and is planted with vines that are 60 years old. Harvesting is done by hand. Both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-third of which is new wood. The wine ages in the barrel for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. The wine exhibits lemon and grapefruit aromas. It is lively in style and very pure, even crystalline, and persistent in the mouth.

Pouilly-Fuissé terroir de Fuissé is a classical Pouilly-Fuissé from limestone and clay soil with an eastern exposure. The wine is made from vines that are 50 years old. There are no herbicides used in the vines, and harvesting is done by hand. Both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-third of which is new wood. The wine ages in the barrel for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. It is a rich wine with more complexity and less primary aromas than the terroir de Chaintré. It is well-balanced and very long in the mouth.

Viré Clessé is a wine very different from the others of the domaine. Instead of a carbon-calcium soil, the deeper clay soil on which these grapes are grown (with a southeastern exposure) produces a fruitier, heavier, fatter wine. It is a wine full of aroma (Muscat grape and pear) and a little high in alcohol. It comes from vines that are 60 years old. The grapes are hand harvested. Both the alcoholic and the malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-quarter of which is new wood. The wine spends 1 year in barrel, 4 months in vat so that the various blends marry, and then it is racked and lightly filtered before bottling. There is no fining.

Saint Véran: The soil is limestone-clay with a southern exposure. The Chardonnay grapes are grown on vines that are 10 years old and are hand-harvested. Both the alcoholic and the malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, anywhere from new wood to 4 years old. The wine ages for 10 months and then is racked with a light filtration and no fining. The wine is aromatic, supple, light-bodied and fruity, with flavors of acacia and honey.

Saint Véran Le Grand Bussière: The soil is limestone-clay with a southern exposure. The Chardonnay grapes, from estate vines that are 40 years old, are hand-harvested. The wine ages in wood barrels (1/3 new wood) for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. The wine is velvety in the finish, with a powerful nose and a bright golden color. The nose offers mineral and floral notes.

Bourgogne blanc: This white burgundy is a Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel. It is true to the Merlin philosophy: dry, broad but focused and long in the palette.

Website: www.merlin-vins.com



	Our Growers: Olivier Merlin Domaine du Vieux Sorlin
	Olivier Merlin is one of the rising stars in the Macon. He is the first in his family to make wine. His mother was a chef, so he ate well and drank well growing up. He studied winemaking at the viticulture school in Davayé, where he got to know Jean-Luc Terrier of Domaine des Deux Roches. He started out working in the United States doing an apprenticeship in 1985 and later worked for Verget for three years. He and his wife, Corinne, bought a few good parcels in the Macon to make their wine. Then, in an effort to create a specialty négociant business, they have carefully chosen producers who will grow the grapes to their specifications and pay them well to provide them with the other grapes necessary to complete their production. Olivier controls everything himself and says that he does "haute couture, not prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear)." He produces just under 10,000 cases with 18 different cuvees. The Macon La Roche Vineuse is very easy to drink. As Merlin says, it is a wine for pleasure. Sixty percent of the vines belong to the domaine and are young (10 years old); forty percent are older vines (up to 30 years old), whose grapes are purchased from others. The grapes are all hand-harvested; no herbicides are used. The wine is vinified in stainless steel vats for 8
	months. Merlin does malolactic fermentation on this wine as well as a light filtration. There is no fining. The nose is aromatic and offers hazelnuts and flowers (honeysuckle blossoms)as well as a light note of lemon. The mouth is round and long in the finish and well-balanced with low acidity. The texture is silky This wine should be drunk within 2 to 3 years. The Macon La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes: The limestone-clay soil has a south, south-east exposure with vines that are 30 to 70 years old. The soil is worked without herbicides and the grapes are hand-harvested. The wine ages in barrels for a year and then for three months in stainless steel vats. Merlin is a master at the seamless use of wood. He says, "I put juice in the barrel, not wine." The wine is racked and lightly filtered before bottling with no fining. This is a rich, complex wine with a marked minerality. It is very well-balanced and long in the mouth. The Macon La Roche Les Cras: This wine is a true expression of its terroir: The limestone-clay soil has a southwestern exposure with vines that are 45 years old. The soil is worked without herbicides and the grapes are hand-harvested. The wine ages in barrels 18-20 months (50% new wood, 50% wood one-year-old), where both alcoholic and the malolactic fermentation take place. The wine is racked and filtered depending on the millésime before bottling with no fining. This is a very rich wine, dense and fat with a marked minerality. Oak is very evident on the palate, but so is the ripeness of the fruit. It has a classic Maconnais "chalky" quality in the long finish. Moulin à Vent: The Gamay grapes are from vines that are 50 years old. The grapes are hand picked. The alcoholic fermentation with carbonic gas is done in wooden tanks for about 2 weeks, and then the wine is aged in wood barrels for 10 months, where the malolactic fermentation takes place. After racking and light filtration, the wine is bottled without fining. This is a rich, very powerful, very aromatic (spices, violets, peonies) wine. The Bourgogne Rouge is light-bodied, fresh, and easy to drink. It has cherry aromas and is very fruity. The soil, which is limestone-clay, has a western exposure; the vines are 30 years old. The soil is worked without herbicides and the grapes are hand-harvested. Vinification is done in wooden vats with two pigeages per day for 2 weeks. The malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels; after 10 months, the wine is racked and lightly filtered with no fining. *The Pouilly-Fuissé terroir* de Chaintré: The clay soil produces a soft, smooth, fruity Chardonnay that is very easy to drink. The limestone-clay soil has a southeastern exposure and is planted with 80-year-old vines. Harvesting is by hand. Both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-third of which is new wood. The wine ages in the barrel for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. The wine is well-balanced, supple, and round in the mouth. The Pouilly-Fuissé terroir de Vergisson has a sharper minerality to it. The limestone-clay soil has a southern exposure and is planted with vines that are 60 years old. Harvesting is done by hand. Both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-third of which is new wood. The wine ages in the barrel for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. The wine exhibits lemon and grapefruit aromas. It is lively in style and very pure, even crystalline, and persistent in the mouth. Pouilly-Fuissé terroir de Fuissé** is a classical Pouilly-Fuissé from limestone and clay soil with an eastern exposure. The wine is made from vines that are 50 years old. There are no herbicides used in the vines, and harvesting is done by hand. Both the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-third of which is new wood. The wine ages in the barrel for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. It is a rich wine with more complexity and less primary aromas than the terroir de Chaintré. It is well-balanced and very long in the mouth. Viré Clessé is a wine very different from the others of the domaine. Instead of a carbon-calcium soil, the deeper clay soil on which these grapes are grown (with a southeastern exposure) produces a fruitier, heavier, fatter wine. It is a wine full of aroma (Muscat grape and pear) and a little high in alcohol. It comes from vines that are 60 years old. The grapes are hand harvested. Both the alcoholic and the malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, one-quarter of which is new wood. The wine spends 1 year in barrel, 4 months in vat so that the various blends marry, and then it is racked and lightly filtered before bottling. There is no fining. Saint Véran: The soil is limestone-clay with a southern exposure. The Chardonnay grapes are grown on vines that are 10 years old and are hand-harvested. Both the alcoholic and the malolactic fermentation are done in oak barrels, anywhere from new wood to 4 years old. The wine ages for 10 months and then is racked with a light filtration and no fining. The wine is aromatic, supple, light-bodied and fruity, with flavors of acacia and honey. Saint Véran Le Grand Bussière: The soil is limestone-clay with a southern exposure. The Chardonnay grapes, from estate vines that are 40 years old, are hand-harvested. The wine ages in wood barrels (1/3 new wood) for 18-20 months and then is racked and bottled without filtration (depending on the vintage). There is no fining. The wine is velvety in the finish, with a powerful nose and a bright golden color. The nose offers mineral and floral notes. Bourgogne blanc: This white burgundy is a Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel. It is true to the Merlin philosophy: dry, broad but focused and long in the palette. Website: www.merlin-vins.com